LJUBLJANA LOCAL DIVISION Law and Practice Contributed by: Aleksandra Jemc Merc, Eva Gostiša and Eva Milošič, Jadek & Pensa Law Firm
1.2 UPC Judges The UPC’s Ljubljana Local Division is presid - ed over by Judge Mojca Mlakar, who previ - ously served as a senior judicial adviser at the Supreme Court of the Republic of Slovenia, where she participated in plenary sessions of the Commercial Division and drafted judgments in IP law cases. Three years later, Judge Mlakar was appointed as a county court judge, handling civil law cases within the Civil Department. She later advanced to the District Court of Ljubljana, which has exclusive first-instance jurisdiction over IP law matters, allowing her to specialise in IP and competition law. Currently, Judge Mlakar is a Higher Court judge at the Administrative Court of the Republic of Slovenia, where she serves in the Department of Property Relations, Environment, and Spatial Planning (Second Tribunal) – further solidifying her expertise in IP and competition law. The Administrative Court of the Republic of Slovenia is responsible for judicial review of administrative acts, including decisions issued by the Slove - nian IP Office (SIPO). As such, the court adjudi - cates on matters related to the granting, refusal and validity of IP rights, including patents, trade marks, and designs. Judge Mlakar’s experience in reviewing administrative decisions concern - ing patent applications and other IP rights fur - ther strengthens her qualifications for presiding over cases at the UPC Ljubljana Local Division. More information on Judge Mojca Mlakar can be found on her official UPC profile. As of April 2025, no additional judges have been officially assigned to the Ljubljana Local Divi - sion. However, as the division begins handling cases, it may be expected that further judicial appointments will be made to ensure efficient case management and workload distribution. The UPC framework allows for the designation
of technically qualified judges and the involve - ment of judges from other UPC divisions when necessary, ensuring that specialised expertise is always available for patent disputes adjudicated in Ljubljana. As mentioned in 1.1 Basic Information , Aleš Zalar has been appointed as director of the PMAC and brings extensive legal and judicial experience to the role. He previously served as a judge and president of the District Court of Ljubljana and held the position of president of the Slovenian Judges’ Association. From 2008 to 2012, Aleš Zalar was Slovenia’s Minister of Justice, and he also briefly served as the act - ing Minister of Home Affairs between 2011 and 2012. For the past 12 years, Aleš Zalar has been the president of the European Centre for Dispute Resolution (ECDR), where he has worked as a mediator, arbitrator, and consultant in interna - tional rule of law reform projects. His background in both judicial leadership and ADR makes him well-suited to oversee the PMAC’s mission of promoting effective and amicable resolution of patent disputes within the UPC framework. More information about Aleš Zalar is available on his official PMAC profile. Also representing Slovenia, Gordana Ristin is one of the 11 appointed members of the Admin - istrative Committee of the UPC. A retired judge, she most recently served as a senior High Court Judge and head of the ADR Department at the Higher Court in Ljubljana. Gordana Ristin has been actively engaged in the field of media - tion since 2001, bringing together her exten - sive judicial experience with a strong commit - ment to mediation, legal education, and policy development both in Slovenia and internation - ally. Throughout the years, she has held several
111 CHAMBERS.COM
Powered by FlippingBook