IP set poised to expand with move

John Malpas reports

INTELLECTUAL property set 6 Pump Court is gearing up to double in size with its move to a new home this week.

The set, headed by David Young QC, has been based at Pump Court ever since its foundation in World War Two.

On Wednesday this week it is due to open up at its new home at Three New Square in Lincoln's Inn in freshly renovated offices.

The set is relatively small, with just 10 tenants, but it has gained a formidable reputation as an intellectual property set and is now ready to expand.

Young, a bencher at Lincoln's Inn, says that there are around 10 spare rooms in the new building which will allow the set to take on more members.

It is already interviewing for pupils and plans to take on tenants through that route, rather than by hiring more senior barristers from other chambers.

"It won't happen in a great rush, but we will be progressively expanding," says Young.

According to senior clerk Ian Bowie the set had outgrown its Pump Court home even with the benefit of an annexe close by.

"We wanted to stay in the Inns of Court. Clients love it and we didn't want to go into a plasticky law office type premises," he says.

"It took us five years to find a new home."

Although the Temple is the traditional home for intellectual property sets, Bowie says the move to Lincoln's Inn will not be a problem, especially as it is so close to the law courts where 90 per cent of its work is undertaken.

It will not be the first intellectual property set to make the move. Close neighbours will be Michael Fysh QC's 8 New Square Set.

The largest chambers of its kind in the country, the set was based at Francis Taylor Building in the Inner Temple until its move in September 1993.