Gary Grant Licensing Lawyer Direct access Licensing Barrister Licensing Lawyers Licensing Barristers
Licensing Barrister
About Gary Grant
Gary Grant is one of the United Kingdom's leading licensing barristers. He is top-ranked in both of the major independent legal directories (Chambers UK Guide and Legal 500) where he is described as:
"The go-to counsel for licensing matters"
“The best licensing lawyer in the country”
"Determined to win. Fights incredibly hard for clients and has the ability to turn a case through the force of his intellect and advocacy. The go-to barrister for tough licensing cases"
"Star Individual - a phenomenal intellect and superb advocate, yet unstuffy in his approach"
"Brilliant, extremely hard working and, more importantly, someone who delivers outstanding results"
"First-choice advocate who has turned advocacy into an art form"
"Brilliant and smooth before the courts"
"A big player"
"Just brilliant, hard working, determined to win
and a very eloquent advocate, one of the best of the best"
"Often comes up with lightning bolt solutions to seemingly intractable problems... provides his clients with an advantage on very difficult cases"
"He's both brilliant and a barrister with a sense of humour, which helps"
"An exceptional knowledge of licensing law"
He practises from the leading set of licensing Chambers at Francis Taylor Building ("FTB").
Gary has over 25 years' experience at the Bar dealing with complex and important cases in all areas of licensing. They include many of the most hard-fought and high-profile licence applications, reviews and appeals involving the country's leading nightclubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, taxi and private hire operators, gambling operators (online and terrestrial), sex entertainment venues, sporting and entertainment arenas, large mixed-use leisure developments, cinema groups, museums, theatres, street carnivals, street markets, and music festivals.
His clients have included the Hard Rock Cafe, Amazon, McDonald's, Chiltern Firehouse, Tate Modern, Pacha, Spearmint Rhino, Marriott, Hilton and Britannia hotel groups, the nightclubs of Rekom UK ("Atik", "Pryzm" etc), the restaurants of Sir Terence Conran ("Albion") and Alan Yau OBE ("Park Chinois", "Wagamama", "Busaba") , Secret Cinema, Everyman Cinema, the Inception Group's bars ("Mr Foggs", "Bunga Bunga" etc), Ola Cabs, Notting Hill Carnival and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. He recently obtained a 5am premises licence for a new London nightclub, a result that Time Out magazine described as "a landmark ruling…unprecedented".
Gary is also at the forefront of advising businesses and bodies in regard to the legal cannabis and CBD market in the UK and is the Head of FTB's Cannabis Law Group.
In addition to his licensing expertise, Gary has a wealth of experience in the criminal courts at all levels up to and including the House of Lords/Supreme Court. Consequently, he is frequently instructed in cases at the frontier of both licensing and criminal law that require expertise in both.
As a true "independent" he advises and represents the trade (from sole-traders to multi-national PLCs), residents, police forces, local authorities and central Government. This broad experience enables Gary to employ his insights to the advantage of all his clients at tribunals ranging from local Council licensing sub-committees through to the Supreme Court. He has a reputation for pursuing his clients' interests with fierce independence, skill, tenacity and integrity.
In addition to his work for leading firms of solicitors and consultants, Gary is able to accept instructions directly from businesses and individuals. This "barrister-led" model provides clients with the most expert legal advice, representation and advocacy - in the most cost-effective manner - right from the very outset of a case.
Gary is a Consultant Editor of Paterson's Licensing Acts ("the bible of licensing law"), the Principal Contributor to the "Clubs" volume in The Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents (Lexis Nexis), and is widely published in the Journal of Licensing and other law journals.
He is the Vice-Chairman of the Institute of Licensing, the professional body representing those who work within the field of licensing, and a prominent speaker at licensing conferences and industry events. In 2021 he was made a Fellow of the Institute of Licensing in recognition of his major contribution to the field of licensing.
For more information, or if you wish to instruct Gary Grant, he can be contacted via his clerks at FTB here.
