| Those who know him will agree that our most famous IP judge, Sir Robin Jacob, is not given to idle flattery. So when he told the IP bar that they were probably the best concentration of IP talent anywhere in Europe if not the world in a talk to our association in January 2007, we can be sure he meant it. And he was right. Much the same thing could have been said of the tax bar, the company bar, the admiralty bar and so on.
Until July 2004 the only way business could tap into that expertise was to ask solicitors or other professional intermediaries to consult counsel. That tended to be expensive because clients had to instruct 2 professionals. Also, it was not always reliable because not every intermediary knew the specialist bar well enough to make an informed choice.
Nowadays, if a member of the public wants
- prompt and accurate advice on a difficult legal problem,
- a complex contract reviewed or terms and conditions drafted, or
- urgent representation on say an injunction hearing,
he or she can go directly to a barrister.
Public access does not hurt solicitors, patent and trade mark attorneys or other professionals because barristers stick to advice, advocacy and drafting. In fact, it probably benefits good firms because barristers are in an ideal position to judge the ability of those who have instructed or opposed them. They can direct clients to someone they can trust to do a good job.
To help businesses and the general public to make better use of barristers, the Bar Council is holding a day long conference in London called "A2B" or Access to the Bar Day on 27 Nov 2008. There will be some excellent speakers from government, business, universities, the bar and other professions. Anybody can attend the event. Admission is free. If you are interested in raising the quality and lowering the cost of legal services this event is for you. You will find more information on our blog (including a link to the A2B page of Bar Council website). If you want to come, call us on 0870 990 5081 or fill in our on-line form and we will forward your details to the Bar Council.
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For nearly 4 years, NIPC has held free advice sessions known as "NIPC clinics" on IP, technology, media and entertainment and related issues on the last Friday of the month at the Huddersfield Media Centre. Gradually NIPC has opened clinics in other towns. The clinics planned from now until the end of the year are as follows:
If you want to learn what goes on at one of those clinics read the typical interview with one of our volunteers in "Tales form the Patent Clinic"in our IP Yorkshire blog. This will be a regular monthly feature for those who appreciate Socratic or Archers style training. If you want a an appointment, please call Toni Wilson on 0870 990 5081.
We plan to extend the network to York and Harrogate after Christmas. Leeds will follow shortly. We shall launch NIPC Clinics in the North-West starting with Merseyside in the first quarter of the New Year.
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Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights: A Concise Guide for Businesses and Creative Individuals
Jane Lambert
This is not a crib for law students, an academic treatise or even a lawyers' text book but a practical guide for business-men and women who find themselves at the wrong end of (or want to avoid) a search order or some other scrape. The book distills Jane Lambert's 30 years experience of practice as a barrister, most of which have been spent at the IP bar.
The book begins with a typical conference with Sam Pepys, the author's non-too bright instructing solicitor, and his client, Mr Aardvark. They have come to counsel because Mr Aardvark's manufacturer in China has made some extra copies of his product that are now flooding the UK product. Counsel discusses the various remedies open to Mr. Aardvark as well as some of the things that Sam wanted to do that are not open to the client thereby narrowly saving them both from a threats action. Subsequent chapters discuss in detail the IP system, the litigation system in the UK and other countries, funding enforcement, where to get help and much, much more.
If you want to read more of Sam's misadventures, Jane has a new episode in the IP Northwest blog called "Educating Samuel" where she explains what is meant by added matter. If she has time, she plans to make "Educating Sam" a regular monthly feature.
Jane's publisher, Gower, is offering a 35% discount if you click the link and quote discount code is G8ALZ35. If you want to buy other Gower books at the same time you can qualify for a 10% discount on those as well.
Dewey Code: 346.4'1048
Publication Feb 2009
244 x 172 mm
978-0-566-08714-1
Hardback
Price £45
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