Alcohol Licensing Solicitor

We charge an initial consultation fee of £60 (£50 + £10 VAT), which can be deducted from the further costs you incur if we are instructed to proceed. At the consultation you will receive initial advice and we will gain a sufficient insight into your case to be able to advise as to the best route forward.

We aim to offer fixed fees for most licensing services. These fees are detailed below. However, on rare occasions more complex or unusual cases may not be suitable for the fixed fee structure. Should this be the case we will advise you from the outset of those circumstances coming to light and in advance of any work being undertaken. A detailed quote will be provided which you will then have the opportunity to approve or reject prior to any work or fees being incurred.

In the event that your case falls outside of the fixed fee structure, any work undertaken would be charged at a rate of £230.40 (£190 + £38.40 VAT) per hour in addition to any disbursements such as court fees (which are also detailed below).

Average costs for Licensing matters are below:

• Applying for a Premises Licence – £1,800.00 (£1,500 + £300 VAT)
• Apply to vary a Premises Licence – £1,800.00 (£1,500 + £300 VAT)
• Defending a Review of a Premises Licence – £3,000.00 (£2,500 + £500 VAT)
• Preparation and representation at a Sub-Committee Hearing – £2,400.00 (£2,000 + £400 VAT)
• Appealing a decision of a sub-committee – £3,600.00 (£3,000 + £600 VAT)

In addition to these amounts would be the payment of disbursements, which include although not exclusively:

• Licensing Application fees – these depend upon the rateable value of the premises and range from £100.00 to £635.00 (no VAT)
• Appeal Hearing fee – £55 (no VAT)
• Newspaper Advertising Fees – they depend upon the size of the advertisement and which publication it needs to go into. Generally, they cost £1,200.00 (£1,000 + £200 VAT)
• Expert Reports – on occasions it may be necessary to obtain an expert report e.g. a sound expert if there is an issue with noise. Those fees would generally range from £1,500.00 (£1,250 + £250 VAT)
• Advocacy Fees – For a Barrister this would range from £1,200.00 (£1,000 + £200 VAT)

The above services vary for each type of application as follows;

Applying for a premises licence will include initial discussions with you concerning the Licensing Act, taking your instructions as to your requirements for the supply and sale of alcohol and regulated music. Preparing application for premises licence and consent of designated premises supervisor. Preparing operating schedule within application. Preparing notices and newspaper advertisement and liaising with the local paper. Preparing public display notices for the premises location. Submitting application and payment of fees to Licensing authority. Advising you on any representations received and negotiation with interested authorities in respect of same.

The process for an application to vary a licence will involve the same work as set out above save for removing any condition or details relevant to the initial licence.

Defending a review of a premises licence will involve consideration of the review by the applicant and their witness statement in support, consideration of further disclosure by them, advising in relation to the consequences of a review and your options. Preparing a response bundle to include witness statement and documentary evidence in relation to the application, preparing for hearing and brief to a Barrister including hearing bundle.

For subcommittee hearings we would advise you on the representations that have not been agreed and are subject to a subcommittee hearing on your application for a licence., preparing response statement and other documentation in support, preparing notice of attendance, preparing hearing bundle, preparing brief to a Barrister.

In relation to appealing the decision of the subcommittee we would take your initial instructions as to the refusal of the application, consideration of determination letter from licensing department, preparing notice to appeal, preparing grounds of appeal, preparing witness statements and accompanying documents in support, preparing any authority you seek to rely on including licensing guidance, submitting and filing of appeal with local Magistrates Court and on all necessary parties, advising you re appeal date and procedure, preparing hearing bundle and brief to Barrister

A NO OBLIGATION quote for legal costs on your case will be provided during initial consultation. We will detail all the work that will be included within that price. No work will be undertaken until you have understood what we will do and agreed to the associated fees.

There may be unforeseen circumstances which require that quote to be revised. This may relate to an increase in complexity, a change in your instructions, an application being made or becoming necessary to make or if there are significantly more communications than normal between the parties.

You will be kept fully advised as to the costs position as your case progresses and any changes to our estimates. We will advise on the nature of that circumstance, why it has impacted upon the original costs quotation and we will provide a revised quote for your consideration and approval.

No additional costs will be incurred until these have been understood and approved by you.

All work is completed by or supervised by a qualified solicitor.

Timescales

Most matters are concluded within 2 to 3 months of us receiving your instructions.

Appeals can take longer depending upon the directions given by the Court but generally they will be concluded within 4 to 6 months.

*There are additional fees for premises license applications, and the annual fee for exceptionally large scale events (5,000+), unless certain conditions apply. Please read Regulations 4(4) and 4(5) of the Licensing Act 2003 (Fees) Regulations 2005.