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Licensing

Cornerstone Barristers
Francis Taylor Building
Three Raymond Buildings

Leading Silks

1
Ranjit Bhose QC - Cornerstone Barristers
Gerald Gouriet QC - Francis Taylor Building ‘ Gerald is a formidable barrister. His position as one of the UK leading licensing and gaming silks is undeniable. ’
Philip Kolvin QC - 11KBW ‘ Philip is the name to look for in licensing. ’
David Matthias QC - Francis Taylor Building
Stephen Walsh QC - Three Raymond Buildings ‘ Stephen provides very balanced and pragmatic advice, understands the industry completely. ’
2
Michael Bromley-Martin QC - Three Raymond Buildings
James Findlay QC –Cornerstone Barristers 'He is approachable, his advice is clear and concise, and he works with the client to achieve the desired outcome.'
Peter Glenser QC - 9 Bedford Row
Kevin de Haan QC - Gough Square Chambers
Martin Heslop QC - 2 Hare Court
Jeremy Phillips QC - Francis Taylor Building ‘ Jeremy is very incisive and excellent at spotting flaws and weaknesses in the opposition's case and developing a strategy around this best suited to the client's business objectives. ’

2020 Silks

Matthew Butt QC - Three Raymond Buildings ‘ Matthew's manner before licensing sub-committees is smooth, measured and always pitched perfectly. ’

Leading Juniors

1
Sarah Le Fevre - Three Raymond Buildings ‘ Sarah is a straight talking, hard working and commercially aware barrister who understands clients' businesses and speaks their language. ’
Gary Grant - Francis Taylor Building ‘ Very approachable, excellent realistic and practical advice. Hard working and knows how to handle clients. No weaknesses. ’
James Rankin - Francis Taylor Building ‘ James is a first class advocate who knows how to win. He is an incredible asset to any client. ’
Charles Streeten - Francis Taylor Building ‘ Well prepared and confident in presenting detailed technical points that others might shy away from. ’
2
Josef Cannon - Cornerstone Barristers ‘ Excellent, thoughtful manner in front of committees. Stays calm and make key points well. ’
Leo Charalambides - Francis Taylor Building
Richard Hanstock - Cornerstone Barristers ‘ We all love Richard. Nothing fazes him and our cases, some of which involve very difficult personalities, are dealt with using wit, charm and humour. ’
Stuart Jessop - Six Pump Court ‘ Stuart is extremely knowledgeable in his field and extremely thorough in his preparation. He is an astute tactician with client's best interest at heart. ’
Guy Ladenburg - Three Raymond Buildings ‘ Solicitors, clients and district judges alike find Guy extremely likable. Provides helpful, concise and frank advice. ’
Saba Naqshbandi - Three Raymond Buildings ‘ Saba leaves no stone unturned with meticulous preparation for licensing subcommittee hearings. ’
Asitha Ranatunga - Cornerstone Barristers

Licensing in London Bar

Cornerstone Barristers

Powerhouse set Cornerstone Barristers remains a leader in licensing, specialising in acting for operators involved in licensing disputes related to gambling, alcohol, sex shops, and taxi and private hire licensing. In Uber London Limited v Transport for London and LTDA, Ranjit Bhose QC was instructed by Uber in its successful appeal against TfL's 2019 decision not to renew its Private Hire Vehicle Operator’s licence in London. James Findlay QC acted for LB of Waltham Forest in Hussain v LB of Waltham Forest, an HMO licensing case in the Upper Tribunal, which concerned whether the local authority had the right to consider spent convictions for lying about gas safety certificates. Asitha Ranatunga represented the Metropolitan Police in its objection to We Are FSTVL’s application for a new 10-year premises licence in Barking & Dagenham.

Testimonials

Set

‘Cornerstone is our preferred set. ‘

Clerking

‘Excellent. I rate Daniel Gatt very highly.’

‘Excellent clerking. Dan Gatt is a standout clerk.’

Francis Taylor Building

The set at Francis Taylor Building displays an ‘unparalleled breadth of expertise across planning and licensing law’, acting for operators in the liquor, gambling, entertainment, and taxi areas, and representing parties in judicial review cases, and before the Magistrates’ Court. Gerald Gouriet QC acted for the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association in Uber London Limited v TfL, the ongoing litigation concerning Uber's activities in London. Jeremy Philips QC provided an opinion on English law as part of the Hong Kong regulatory process for the takeover of Les Ambassadeurs Club in Mayfair, and Leo Charalambides represents the Metropolitan Police in its appeal against the decision of Camden Council to grant a license to The Red Rooms sexual entertainment venue.

Testimonials

Set

‘Very good set, professional throughout. Wide range of licensing expertise covering all fields in the sector.’

‘A consistently high-performing set with a wealth of counsel to choose from. ‘

‘Unparalleled breadth of expertise across planning and licensing law.’

‘FTB is clearly the leading licensing set with some of the most famous names in the Industry. It has unrivaled depth in the licensing and regulatory field and they have been a joy to work with.’

‘FTB has possibly the greatest depth of licensing experience in England. Chambers are able to offer expert licensing advice from the lowest level of junior (in terms of call date) to QC.’

Clerking

‘Good clerking. Polite and professional with the skill to suggest the correct counsel to the client.’

‘They set a very high standard. I would say their clerking is a lot more responsive and you get fewer surprises in terms of when you get invoiced. The invoicing aspect is very clear and accurate.’

‘The service provided by the Chambers and the clerk’s room is exemplary. All staff are knowledgeable, professional, and friendly.’

‘All of the clerks are very helpful, professional, and have the required expertise to match the correct barrister to the needs of the client.’

‘All are excellent.’

Three Raymond Buildings

Described as ‘the leading set for licensing,’ the barristers at Three Raymond Buildings advise and represent clients across a full range of areas, including alcohol and entertainment, gambling, security, taxis and private hire. Michael Bromley-Martin QC successfully re-secured the premises licence for the Eastern Electrics Music Festival in opposition to objections from the Licensing Authority and the Metropolitan Police. Stephen Walsh QC is currently advising and representing the operators of Aspers Casino Stratford in varying the terms of their gambling licence. Members are involved in work concerning restaurants, with Matthew Butt QC and Saba Naqshbandi having represented Coya and Le Deli Robuchon respectively.

Testimonials

Set

‘Without doubt the leading set for licensing. The set has an invaluable breadth of expertise in criminal law meaning we always go to 3RB whenever there is a criminal element to any licensing proceedings.’

‘The best set for licensing with an unparalleled breadth of expertise across licensing, regulatory and crime which often provides an invaluable knowledge bank for complex licensing cases.’

‘Three Raymond Buildings is the original licensing set. Other sets have popped up but none match the depth of this set.’

‘They have the best set of licensing barristers in my opinion for strength, depth of knowledge, and experience. They are a stellar set.’

‘Excellent strength in depth with a range of experienced counsel in the field of licensing from highly experienced silks to bright and committed juniors.’

Clerking

‘The best clerks full stop. Dean Brown, in particular, stands out as the most helpful and accessible clerk who always finds the right barrister for the job, every time.’

‘Dean Brown is a pleasure to deal with, always polite, helpful, and proactive.’

‘Excellent.’