Licensing law

The implementation of both the Gambling Act 2005 and the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 has been a challenge for businesses of all sizes. We have worked with hundreds of clients throughout transition and guided them through the new legal environment. Thousands of applications have been submitted, with follow up appearances at the licensing boards all over Scotland.

Our licensing law team is highly respected in the world of licensing and we work closely with clerks to the licensing boards, other firms of solicitors and Council support teams to ensure that our client’s aims are achieved. We are recognised for testing legal boundaries, exploring different routes and being innovative. We live and breathe gambling and licensing law in Scotland. We are interested in proposed legislation and economic activity which impacts on the Hospitality and Leisure industry and we want to keep you ahead of the game. How do we do that? By communicating with our clients and by making sure we are abreast of the latest changes.

Our consultant John Loudon is convener of the Licensing Sub-Committee for the Law Society of Scotland and our Senior Associate Caroline Brown also sits on the Committee. John is a Fellow and legal advisor of the British Hospitality Association and he also advises the Scottish Beer and Pub Association. Both Caroline and John are regularly quoted in the trade and legal press. In practical terms, we are right in the middle of things- whether that is giving evidence to the Justice Committee at the Scottish Parliament, attending cross party meetings or simply going to a client business for dinner.

Our client list is enviable. We work with clients who are retail chains, hotels, casinos, bingo, clubs, restaurants. They can be small family businesses to large multi-national chains. We aim to excel and the service level you can expect from us is second to none. We can take you from the very start of an idea right through to the opening night.

Our specialist advice covers areas such as:

Gambling

split premises licensing
new premises licensing
betting offices
bingo
casinos
adult gaming centres
family entertainment centres
24-hour operating
Specific gaming permits

Alcohol licensing

Advice on new projects
new grants of premises licence
variations of existing premises licences
transfers of premises licence
personal licensing
contractual wording

Civic licensing

late hours catering licences
table and chairs permissions
public entertainment licensing
taxis licensing

Wedding licensing

Approved places for civil marriage

Ancillary advice

The work of Lindsays’ licensing team is complemented by that of other teams. As a full-service firm, we handle many other issues for our licensing clients, such as property, franchising, and employment issues. This wider expertise, combined with our licensing expertise, means we have long-standing relations with many clients in this area.