Legal Week: New Square’s Kitchin to replace Laddie: “In 2002, an appeal was brought against a Laddie judgment accusing the judge of having an "appearance of bias".: Thursday 15 Sept 2005 

Legal Week reports

15 September 2005

IP lawyers have welcomed the appointment of David Kitchin QC of 8 New Square as the successor to Mr Justice Laddie in the UK IP court.

The appointment, announced yesterday (14 September), sees Kitchin replace the IP court’s most senior High Court judge, Hugh Laddie, who has left the bench to join IP consultancy Willoughby & Partners.

Kitchin was called to the Bar in 1971 and took silk in 1994. He was appointed a recorder in the Patent County Court earlier this year and is approved to sit as a deputy High Court judge and to hear trade mark appeals

The appointment will be closely watched by the IP community, which has been highly critical of patent judges in recent years, claiming they have had a bias against patent holders.

In 2002, an appeal was brought against a Laddie judgment accusing the judge of having an "appearance of bias".

Wragge & Co head of IP Gordon Harris was upbeat about the appointment saying: "He is the greatest brain at the IP Bar. I would expect he will end up in the House of Lords."

Author: Paul Hodkinson

Source: Legal Week

Start Date: 15/09/2005

End Date: 20/09/2005

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