Support Us
Find out more about the Institute's founder, the firms currently supporting IBIL, and how you can get involved
About Sir Hugh Laddie and the Sir Hugh Laddie Chair
Professor Sir Hugh Laddie was a leading English judge and academic in the field of intellectual property law. He had a formidable international reputation and did much to shape IP law, both here and overseas.
When Sir Hugh retired from the bench in 2005 he was appointed Professor of Intellectual Property Law at UCL and went on to found the Institute of Brand and Innovation Law. Following his untimely death in November 2008, and with the endorsement of his family, UCL set about creating an academic Chair funded by charitable contributions in his memory. The inaugural holder of the Sir Hugh Laddie Chair in Intellectual Property Law is Professor Sir Robin Jacob who is also Director of the UCL Institute of Brand and Innovation Law.
How you can support IBIL
You can support us by becoming an Institute sponsor or by making a donation to the Sir Hugh Laddie Chair fund. You can also support us by attending one of our public events or CPD courses.
Institute Sponsorship
The Institute of Brand and Innovation Law would like to thank all of its past and current sponsors for their generosity which makes our activities possible. The support that we receive from our sponsors helps us to undertake additional activities which are not covered by core funding. These include:
- support first class academic research which helps to inform and shape IP law, policy and practice
- award PhD scholarships to the brightest IP thinkers of the future
- strengthen the community of IP scholars and their ties with the wider 'real-world' IP community
- encourage excellence in our IP students, through prizes, networking opportunities, work experience and mentoring
- support our team's research excellence with research assistance.
Details of our sponsors for the year ending 31 August 2025 follow.
Major Professional Partners
Professional Partners
Carpmaels & Ransford LLP, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, Gowling WLG (UK) LLP, Mayer Brown International LLP, Powell Gilbert LLP, Simmons & Simmons LLP, Trevisan & Cuonzo.
Become a Sponsor
IBIL has three tiers of annual sponsorship for the year September 2025 - August 2026.
Benefits
- Ten free places at the Annual Innovation, Brand and Copyright seminars and 15% discount on additional places at these events.
- 15% discount at other IBIL fee-paying events during sponsorship period.
- 20% discount on one place at the award winning CPD courses on Intellectual Property Transactions: Law and Practice to be held in April 2026, the Privacy CPD course in February 2026, and other IP CPD courses.
- Three invitations to the dinner following the Sir Hugh Laddie Annual Lecture in June 2025.
- Advance notification and booking at all IBIL events.
Recognition
Name and logo of donating firm listed as a Global Partner in the following places:
- Institute of Brand and Innovation Law Website, with a link to the firm's URL
- Event slide at the three key annual IBIL seminars
Opportunities
- A named LLM or LLB IP Prize/s for excellence, in the sum of £500 each, to be awarded at the Annual UCL Prizewinners’ reception.
Benefits
- Six free places at the Innovation, Brands and Copyright seminars and 15% discount on any additional places.
- 15% discount at other IBIL fee-paying events during the sponsorship period.
- 15% discount on one place at the award winning CPD course on Intellectual Property Transactions: Law and Practice to be held in April 2026 and the Privacy CPD course in February 2026, and other IP CPD courses
- Two invitations to the dinner following the Sir Hugh Laddie Annual Lecture in June 2026.
- Advance notification and booking at all IBIL events
Recognition
Name and logo of the donating firm as a Major Professional Partner on the following:
- Institute of Brand and Innovation Law Website, with a link to the firm's URL
- Event slide at the three key annual IBIL seminars.
Opportunities
- One named LLM IP prize for excellence in an LLM course, in the sum of £200, to be awarded at the Annual UCL Prizewinners’ reception
Benefits
- Three free places at the Innovation, Brands and Copyright seminars and 15% discount on any additional places.
- 15% discount at other IBIL fee paying events during the sponsorship period.
- 15% discount on one place at the award winning CPD course on Intellectual Property Transactions: Law and Practice to be held in April 2026 and the Privacy CPD course in February 2026, and other IP CPD courses
- One invitation to the dinner following the Sir Hugh Laddie Annual Lecture in June 2026.
- Advance notification and booking at all IBIL events.
Recognition
Name of donating firm as a Professional Partner on the following:
- Institute of Brand and Innovation Law Website, with a link to the firm's URL
- Event slide at the three key annual IBIL seminars
Contact Lisa Penfold (Lisa.Penfold@ucl.ac.uk) to request an IBIL Sponsorship Brochure.
Professor Sir Robin Jacob - Director of IBIL - rjacob@ucl.ac.uk
Lisa Penfold - Events & CPD Manager - lisa.penfold@ucl.ac.uk
Lynne Chave - IBIL Research Centre Manager - l.chave@ucl.ac.uk
The Sir Hugh Laddie Chair in Intellectual Property
The Sir Hugh Laddie Chair is an integral part of the Institute of Brand and Innovation Law, the living, practical IP academic centre founded by Sir Hugh at UCL Laws. Like Sir Hugh, the Chair is reserved for one of the most respected voices in the legal world.
Support the Sir Hugh Laddie Chair Fund
UCL welcomes the participation of friends, alumni and others in the legal profession in securing this lasting legacy in tribute to Sir Hugh. If you would like to make a donation to the Sir Hugh Laddie Chair Fund, please use the online form here or click on the Donate button.
If you prefer, you can telephone and speak to the Alumni & Supporter Care team. They can be contacted by calling +44 (0)203 108 9037 and quoting 'Sir Hugh Laddie Chair' (account code 501643.100.156698).