Nominet, the .uk domain name registry, has appointed Nick Wenban-Smith as Senior Legal Counsel.Wenban-Smith will lead Nominet's Dispute Resolution Service (DRS), an internationally renowned mediation service for .uk domain name disputes.

30/08/2007

Nick Wenban-Smith To Lead Globally Acclaimed Dispute Resolution Service (DRS)

Nominet, the .uk domain name registry, has appointed Nick Wenban-Smith as Senior Legal Counsel.Wenban-Smith will lead Nominet's Dispute Resolution Service (DRS), an internationally renowned mediation service for .uk domain name disputes. His remit will include sharing the DRS's best practice and experience with members of the UK and international Internet and legal industry. 

Nominet has employed CEDR-qualified, non-lawyer mediators since 2001 and its Dispute Resolution Services handles more than 900 disputes a year, of which about 60% go to mediation. Currently, the Nominet team handles approximately 13% of all commercial mediations in the UK.
 
Prior to joining Nominet Nick held senior in-house legal positions at PowderJect Pharmaceuticals plc, an Oxford University biotech spinout, and Huntswood, a consulting and outsourcing business backed by 3i, where he was General Counsel and Company Secretary.He completed legal training in the City of London and qualified as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1997.

On his appointment, Wenban-Smith states: "Nominet's DRS is recognised as one of the most successful mediation services in the Internet industry worldwide. We are proud of our work and achievements and I am looking forward to leading the team's commitment to sharing best practice worldwide."

Lesley Cowley, CEO of Nominet concludes: "We are excited to have Nick leading our DRS team. More and more people are recognising the importance that our service plays in the UK and international online community. Nick will play a key role in ensuring Nominet continues to innovate in the DRS field and ensures the provision of a successful, cost effective and efficient method of dealing with domain name disputes."
 

Notes to Editors

About Nominet

Nominet UK is the national registry for all Internet domain names ending in .uk.  Its purpose is the careful and impartial management of this central database, providing stability, security and accessibility for all users of .uk domain names. Nominet is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. It has members not shareholders, pays no dividends and its charges only cover its running costs. Anyone with an interest in the Internet may become a member. Nominet has over 2,800 members representing all areas of the Internet industry and is recognised as the .uk domain name registry by the Internet industry and the UK Government. It is not a governing or regulatory body, but provides a public service for the .uk namespace on behalf of the UK Internet community.

For further information, please contact:
Katie Judge / Gemma Griffiths at Fuse PR
Tel: 020 8752 3200
Email: nominet@fusepr.co.uk

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