The Crime and Courts Act 2013 provided for the JAC to determine the process for the selection of suitable people for membership of a pool from which authorisations to sit as deputies of the High Court  will be made. Section 9(1) requests for authorisation are not appointments in the usual sense but do represent an opportunity to develop judicial skills at a higher level of complexity. The JAC's policy is here The Judicial Appointments Commission has now been asked to indentify up to four candidates for membership of a pool from which authorisations will be made to sit as High Court Judges in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court based in London. The exercise is expected to launch at noon on 23 October 2014. More information is available here You will be eligible to apply if you are a:
  • Circuit Judge
  • Recorder
  • Chamber President, or a Deputy Chamber President, of a chamber of the Upper Tribunal or of a chamber of the First-tier Tribunal
  • Judge of the Upper Tribunal by virtue of appointment under paragraph 1(1) of Schedule 3 to the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007
  • Transferred-in judge of the Upper Tribunal (see section 31(2) of that Act)
  • Deputy judge of the Upper Tribunal (whether under paragraph 7 of Schedule 3 to, or section 31(2) of, that Act); or
  • The President of Employment Tribunals (England and Wales) or the President of Employment Tribunals (Scotland).
The Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) The Patents County Court (PCC) was reconstituted as a specialist list in the Chancery Division of the High Court to form the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) in 2013. It caters for the litigation needs of, among others, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and litigants in person in patent, design and related cases.  More recently it has assumed the same role in relation to registered trade mark matters and is an EU-designated court for those purposes and has taken over the adjudication of all kinds of IP cases referred to it from County Courts in England and Wales. The role comprises preparing for trial and case management, presiding over court proceedings and giving judgments. Other work includes determining applications, conducting "views" of the subject-matter of the action and encouraging the use of Information Technology, including video and telephone conferencing. Please be aware that the dates and vacancy details for this exercise are still subject to confirmation and may, therefore, change. Please check back regularly to see if the launch date or number and nature of the vacancies have changed.