Hugh Laddie | |
---|---|
High Court Judge | |
In office 1995–2005 | |
Sir Hugh Laddie Chair | |
In office 2006–2008 | |
Succeeded by | Robin Jacob |
Personal details | |
Occupation | Jurist |
Sir Hugh Ian Lang Laddie (15 April 1946 – 28 November 2008 [1]) was a judge of the High Court of England and Wales. [2] [3] [4] He was a leader in the field of intellectual property law. [5] He was co-author of the Modern Law of Copyright (1980). [6]
Laddie was educated at Aldenham School and St Catharine's College, Cambridge. He studied medicine but changed to law. [5] He became a barrister in 1969. [5] He is credited with having developed the idea of applying for an Anton Piller order [7] while still a junior. [8] After 25 years at the bar, he was appointed a High Court judge in April 1995, [9] and was assigned to the Chancery Division, as one of the Patents Court judges.
He resigned from his post as a judge in 2005, "because he found it boring" and felt isolated on the bench. [9] He became a consultant for Willoughby & Partners, a boutique law firm, UK legal arm of Rouse & Co International, [4] [10] a move which was criticised by some. [11] He was thought to be the first High Court judge to resign voluntarily in 35 years, [ citation needed] and the first subsequently to join a firm of solicitors. [4] No one since Sir Henry Fisher, in 1970, had resigned from the bench. [2]
He was appointed to a Chair in Intellectual Property Law at University College London, with effect from 1 September 2006. [12] He founded there the Institute of Brand and Innovation Law. [6] The Sir Hugh Laddie chair in Intellectual Property has subsequently been established at UCL.
Hugh Laddie married Stecia Zamet in 1970. [6] He died of cancer on 28 November 2008, aged 62. [3]