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Who we are
We are a small specialist set of English Intellectual Property,
Data Protection, Freedom of Information Act 2000, Internet, Media and Commercial Counsel.
We are willing to advise to advise on all matters from limited questions of discovery in a simple copyright case to appearing in major patent cases. We also very much specialise in what we believe to be practical and cost-effective legal solutions to e-commerce, privacy and Internet problems, including questions of domain name entitlement and the drafting of legal contracts/agreements for e-business and other Internet/Web projects. We will, of course, also consider the application of the Human Rights Act 1998 in appropriate cases. We increasingly advise on aspects of Data Protection policies and audits, and are also happy to advise on aspects of requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Our aim is to offer a service to suit the needs of all types of lay and professional client - whether experienced in our fields of law or in quite different areas and maybe wishing to have more assistance or just reassurance. We are pleased to offer what we hope is considered friendly telephone assistance whenever needed, whether for major matters where an opinion - or indeed a second opinion - is urgently required or for small points of practice and procedure in our fields.
We very much make a feature of holding conferences and CPD courses at professional clients' offices or attend site meetings or views at clients' premises in order to save time and overall costs. Further, papers, drawings, machines and the like can be rapidly obtained if required during the course of a conference. Travelling time is only rarely charged, and then only with prior agreement of the professional client. PLEASE NOTE: If a lay client is disabled and/or elderly, we are particularly happy to attend their home, nursing home or any other convenient place - no travelling time will be charged in any event for such lay clients located in England and Wales.
Members of Chambers have appeared in matters such as a 9 day High Court patent action and follow-up applications to reopen the case after judgment - Charlesworth v Relay Roads & others [2000] RPC 300; [1999] 4 All.E.R. 397. In that matter, the first instructions came only 4 working days before the trial commenced.
Our service is also very much offered to clients based outside the UK.
Originally established at 30 Fleet Street, we had to move to Wimbledon due a major refurbishment works at The Outer Temple where we were until the end of September 2000. So as to maintain fees at what we hope are competitive levels, Chambers became "virtual" during the summer of 2004. However, we can and do hold conferences at appropriate venues in both the Fleet Street and Westminster areas at very short notice.
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The sort of legal work we do
We are especially happy to undertake advisory,
drafting or litigation work in the following areas:
Intellectual Property: Designs of all types - whether registered or unregistered; Copyright - whether literary, musical, "computer" related or artistic; Impact of the implementation towards the end of 2003 of the important Copyright Directive - including what might now constitute fair use and what might or might not be an effective anti-piracy means, method or device; Trade Marks, Passing Off and Branding of all sorts, including Domain Names; Patents, especially mechanical and electronic; Confidentiality and Restraint of Trade; UK and EU competition law; Trade libel and malicious falsehood; Licence Agreements; Contracts and agreements, including book, magazine and music publishing matters; Performing rights; Ownership of rights; Conflicts of laws (private international law) relating to any IP matters; Application of the Human Rights Act 1998 - and the possible application of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 - to intellectual property matters.
Data Protection: Advice and - we hope - some practical commercial solutions under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the late 2003 Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations which changed the legal landscape as far as unsolicited commercial e-mails ("spam") and cookies were concerned. Interaction between the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Data Protection Policies, Manuals and the like prepared and existing policies, manuals and the like reviewed and amended as required. Assistance given with Data Protection Audits.
Freedom of Information Act 2000: Advice as to requests made under the Act, the sufficiency of any reply and the application of any of the numerous "exclusions" provided under the Act. Freedom of Information Policies, Work Manuals and the like prepared and existing policies, manuals and the like reviewed and amended as required.
Internet and Digital Law: e- commerce law, including the important but sometimes overlooked effects of both the Distance Selling and Electronic Commerce Regulations. Impact of the late 2003 Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations on the use of "cookies" and "spam" (unsolicited communications sent by e-mail); Software agreements and licensing; Web-site Design agreements; ISP disputes; Web law, including Domain Name law, cybersquatting, file-sharing and all other cyberlaw; Disputes about the functioning of software, particularly bespoke software; Disputes about the functioning of hardware; all other Computer contracts; e-libel; privacy; interception of electronic communications; Conflicts of laws relating to Internet and Digital law matters; Application of the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to Internet, intranet and other similar matters.
Media Law: Privacy; Defamation including libel; Film, TV and Video rights; Film, TV and Video agreements and licensing; Residual rights; Conflicts of laws relating to the same; Application of the Human Rights Act 1998 to media matters; "Freedom of Information" matters.
Other Areas: Commercial law; Insolvency, including "receivership, liquidation and bankruptcy"; Technical litigation and contracts; Litigation support, including appropriate support for non-UK lawyers and law firms.
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Who can instruct us?
Whilst barristers cannot presently accept instructions directly from UK lay clients (essentially anyone who is not a
solicitor, patent or trade mark agent, accountant or similar professional - see below for non-UK clients) due to existing professional rules, we
can give the names and contact details of several solicitors, patent or trade mark agents/attorneys (and accountants), who have experience in the
Intellectual Property and Internet fields. They can, if the lay client so wishes, then instruct a member of Design Chambers. This entire
process can be done very quickly, sometimes in under an hour for urgent matters from the first telephone contact to Design Chambers to a member of
Design Chambers being instructed by the selected professional.
Some lay clients may prefer to contact their existing family or company solicitors who, even if their particular expertise is not in the IP, IT, Media or Internet fields, can then formally instruct us.
Direct professional access instructions are accepted.
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Where can meetings be held?
We are happy to arrange the place and time of conferences and views at the convenience of lay and professional clients, including at
weekends. As stated above, being "virtual", we
very much make a feature of holding conferences and
CPD courses at
professional clients' offices or attend site meetings or views at clients'
premises in order to save time and overall costs. Travelling time is only
rarely charged, and then only with prior agreement of the professional
client. PLEASE NOTE: If a lay client is disabled
and/or elderly, we are particularly happy to attend their home, nursing home or
any other convenient place - no travelling time will be charged in any event for
such lay clients located in England and Wales. If required, a conference or a view can be held out of the United Kingdom at a domestic level of fees plus
disbursements. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is encouraged at Design Chambers wherever it appears to offer a cost or time effective
solution to a particular dispute.
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Fees
As suggested above, we hope to be able to offer a realistic and flexible pricing structure and encourage the discussion of fees directly with
the Barristers concerned. We take a rather wide range of factors into account when discussing fees and are willing to discuss a set fee for
appropriate cases. We aim to send out fee notes well within any time frame previously agreed, and with due dispatch in any event.
We are
willing to consider set fees for appropriate work.
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Foreign Litigation Support
Foreign litigation support is welcomed
with the caveat that we can only advise, or appear, as English Barristers. Fees at
Design Chambers for such work are no higher than for equivalent domestic work (plus disbursements), and, we believe, will be
seen as reasonable. If required, we can suggest the names of law firms - including patent and trade mark agents/attorneys - in other countries,
especially France, Poland, Singapore and Canada.
In appropriate cases, we are willing to take instructions directly from non-UK lay clients. If the case concerns possible or actual litigation in England, we can give a list of some of English solicitors, patent agents or trade mark attorneys if the facts of the case require - or may require at a later stage - that these professionals also need to be instructed under the present English professional rules.
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CPD
Legal Training
Members of Design Chambers have very wide experience of giving CPD - continuing
professional development - courses (approved by the Law Society and Bar Council)
to solicitors and barristers. We are happy to prepare and deliver cost and
time effective in-house
courses of 1 to 6 hours duration on a wide area of intellectual property, data
protection, information technology and media subjects. These courses are
conveniently given at the client's offices or other appropriate venue. Relatively
intensive and interactive but traditional (not PowerPoint based!) courses are now being increasingly requested.
Full notes (almost verbatim if required) are available to each delegate. We believe that our
courses are cost-efficient for many delegates and firms are courses.
For up to eight delegates, typical fees for a standard course (not per delegate) are in the range of £250 for a three hour course, £335 for a four hour course, and £500 for a full-day six hour course. VAT, reasonable travel and subsistence expenses have to be added. Travel time is not charged! Fees for courses tailored to a client's specific needs are also keenly priced - please see our CPD page for further details. Discounts are available if more than six hours are booked for a CPD year.
Courses can be arranged to be given during weekday evenings or weekends.
Details of some the standard CPD courses given by Richard Hodgson, including ones on data protection, patents, trade marks, passing off, copyright, designs and media law, can be found here. Richard has given numerous well-received CPD courses, including many BLS CPD ones (BLS was fully bought out by BPP in 2003).
» Convenient CPD courses - by Design
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Legal Seminars attended by members of Design Chambers
From time to time, members of Design Chambers participate in legal seminars. The latest details can be found here
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How to contact us
A member of Chambers can usually be contacted by telephone on + 44 (0) 20 7353 0747, both during the working day and, for very urgent matters,
during the evening or weekend. A similar service is offered by fax on + 44 (0) 20
8947 3869 and by e-mail - manager@designchambers.com.
If urgent, please e-mail: urgent@designchambers.com
Please note that clicking on this e-mail link is
unlikely to do anything. This is in the
(probably vain)
hope that this address will not be picked up by too many virus or spam
harvesting programs.
The majority of our instructions are now sent in the first instance by e-mail.
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