The Legal 500

United Kingdom > London Bar > Licensing

Editorial sections

Other

All countries

Index of tables

  1. Licensing – Leading Sets
  2. Licensing – Leading Silks
  3. Licensing – Leading Juniors

FTB has strength in depth among silks and juniors, and has excellent clerking. Kevin de Haan QC is ‘a “go-to” barrister for betting and gaming issues’, and provides ‘clear, efficient and cost-effective advice. He is a master of the subject, but also considers issues that may not have been immediately apparent’. The ‘very formidable’ and ‘very charming’ Gerald Gouriet QC ‘has a keen eye for detail and is always thoroughly prepared. His courtroom manner is impeccable’. Simon Mehigan QC is ‘extraordinarily good – he knows his stuff’. James Rankin is ‘the “go-to” junior, with a huge wealth of experience acting for applicants and objectors. He is an effective cross-examiner of witnesses but with guile, style and aplomb enough to charm most committees and courts’. Former solicitor Jeremy Phillips is ‘superb’, ‘a very competent, thorough, courteous and hardworking barrister with in-depth knowledge in licensing, who handles intricate and delicate cases very well’. Juan Lopez is ‘accessible and tenacious’.

‘An excellent set of licensing specialists’, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square provides ‘a broad range of expertise and experience for both high and lower level counsel in all licensing matters, and the clerking is attentive’. James Findlay QC is ‘first class, with excellent judgement and a good client manner’. He is ‘a leader in his field’, as is ‘very good advocate’ David Matthias QC. Philip Kolvin QC has ‘excellent analytical skills, knows every aspect of legislation and its practical effect intimately, and has a very practical approach and great rapport with clients’. In court, Josef Cannon ‘appears expert and persuasive, engaging well with both lay and professional tribunals, with a particular strength in explaining complex issues to lay magistrates’. Ranjit Bhose ‘gives down-to-earth, practical advice’, and Peter Miller is ‘very professional, very personable, and adaptable’.

Three Raymond Buildings is ‘accommodating and exceedingly commercial’. Stephen Walsh QC is ‘always practical and commercial’ and ‘the QC to go to for complex licensing, gambling and regulatory cases’. Michael Bromley-Martin QC is also recommended. Among the juniors, Richard Wormald has the ‘absolute confidence’ of instructing solicitors, and Saba Naqshbandi is ‘very bright, hardworking, dedicated and good with clients. She is very persuasive, yet measured. Her written work and her advocacy are both top class’. The ‘robust and excellent’ Sarah Le Fevre is ‘a very good advocate and tactician. She has a wealth of experience running her own licensed premises which shows in grasping crucial points and giving excellent commercial advice’. Matthew Butt is ‘an excellent academic barrister who provides reasoned, constructive and practical advice’.

One Essex Court’s Susanna FitzGerald QC is ‘a leading light’, and has ‘an appreciation of the mood and attitude of the regulators as well as in-depth understanding of the black letter law’. The clerking is ‘excellent’.

Ely Place Chambers’ Gary Grant (moved to FTB in September 2011) is ‘very good’, particularly for late-hour licensing issues.

At 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square, Saima Hanif is ‘extremely user friendly, fast, efficient and extremely bright’. Stephen Whale is also recommended. The clerks are ‘efficient and friendly’.

2 Hare Court’s Martin Heslop QC is a gaming and licensing expert.

5 King’s Bench Walk’s Ian Glen QC is ‘uniformly excellent’ for betting, gaming and licensing.

XXIV Old Buildings’ Alexander Pelling and Francis Tregear QC are experts at the intersection of financial services and spread betting.

4 Pump Court’s Christopher Moger QC is recommended for gaming and lotteries work.

Tanfield Chambers’ Stephen Monkcom is a gaming law expert.

Search News and Articles

Press releases

The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to

Legal Developments in the UK

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to

  • Standards

    In R (Calver) v Adjudication Panel for Wales [2012] EWHC 1172 (Admin) Mr Calver was a member of Manorbier Community Council who successfully challenged the decision of the Panel to dismiss his appeal against a decision by Prembrokeshire County Council Standards Committee censuring him for a number of comments or blogs posted by him on a website he owned and controlled.
    - 11KBW

  • A justified retrospective

    Clive Sheldon - QC debates the pros & cons of retrospective tax legislation
    - 11KBW

  • Public Sector Equality Duty (“PSED”)

    In R (Greenwich Community Law Centre) v Greenwich LBC [2012] EWCA Civ 496 the Court of Appeal held that the Council had had “due regard to the PSED when making changes to its funding of community legal advice services”. At para 30 Elias LJ said:
    - 11KBW

  • Public Sector Equality Duty

    Surrey County Council conducted a review of its Library Service. This culminated in a Report to the Council’s Cabinet. The Recommendations in the Report included that there should be consultation about a community-partnership approach at selected Libraries.
    - 11KBW

  • Judicial Review

    The Judgment of Lindblom J in The Manydown Co Ltd v Basingstoke and Deane BC [2012] EWHC 977 (Admin) repays attention. The Claimant sought to challenge by judicial review 2 decisions of the Council: (1) the Council’s refusal to reconsider its position on the development of a site that it owns (and is the subject matter of a Joint Development Partnership Agreement with the Claimant); and (2) a decision of the Council’s Cabinet approving a selection of sites for development which did not include this site.
    - 11KBW

  • The Health and Social Care Act 2012: impact on adult social services

    After its torrid passage through Parliament, the Health and Social Care Bill received Royal Assent on 27 March 2012. The Act deals principally with healthcare reform, but it also contains some amendments to the legislative framework for social care. It will come into force on a day yet to be appointed by the Secretary of State.
    - 11KBW

  • Immigration update May 2012

    In this issue:
    - Penningtons Solicitors LLP

  • Premium service for tier 2 and 5 sponsors to be launched

    A premium service for sponsors will be launched by the UKBA on 6 April 2012. The service is designed specifically for companies that sponsor international employees under tier 2 and 5 of the points based system and aims to provide them with enhanced support.
    - Penningtons Solicitors LLP

  • A justified retrospective

    Clive Sheldon QC debates the pros & cons of retrospective tax legislation
    - 11KBW

  • Update on Tier 2 certificates of sponsorship allocations for 2012/13

    The UKBA is experiencing large volumes of requests from sponsors who have applied to renew their 2012/13 allocation of certificates of sponsorship.
    - Penningtons Solicitors LLP

Press Releases in the UK

The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to
© 2012 www.legal500.com