Brian Whitehead

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT BRIAN WHITEHEAD

I am currently pursuing a portfolio career, combining my judicial roles with teaching. Since May 2015 I have been a Deputy District Judge on the North Eastern Circuit. In addition to civil disputes, I am authorised to hear small claims in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, private family law matters, matrimonial financial disputes and cases in the Business & Property Courts.In 2020 I became an Appointed Person for Trade Marks and Designs, hearing appeals from hearing officers\' decisions in the UK Intellectual Property Office.In 2022 I was appointed as a Recorder (Criminal), which is a part-time circuit judge role, conducting criminal trials and hearings in the Crown Court. This role enables me to sit in regional court centres across England.I am a freelance tutor for BPP Law School, teaching the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and Bar Training Courses.Prior to stepping down from full-time legal practice in September 2023, I was a partner with HLK. I undertook both litigation and licensing and other non-contentious work, and my clients included major PLCs and multinational corporations. My particular emphases were patent law in areas involving a high technical or scientific content, and IP law in the consumer retail sector. Before qualifying as a solicitor, I gained degrees in chemistry (MA, Oxford) and biochemistry (PhD, Sheffield), and worked in the Netherlands as a scientific researcher and publisher. I have written a number of published articles on IP law, and speak regularly at conferences and workshops on the subject.Specialties: Intellectual Property Law - patents, trade marks, copyright, registered designs