A Trainee Perspective: First Appearance at a Licensing Board Hearing

Gaining practical experience is an essential part of development for a trainee solicitor. I recently had the opportunity to represent a client at my first Licensing Board Hearing in respect of an application for a provisional premises licence under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 before Renfrewshire Council.

Preparation and Attendance

I was supervised and assisted in drafting my submission, arranging the necessary documentation, including the layout plan and operating plan for the application and ensuring these met the requirements of both the legislation and Renfrewshire Council’s licensing policy. In the lead-up to the hearing, I reviewed relevant provisions of the Licensing (Scotland) 2005 Act, and shadowed a board hearing in Edinburgh for a HMO licence application to gain a better understanding of the process and witness the different styles of presentations by other representatives.

At the hearing, I introduced the application to the Board and made my submissions. There were no objections or representations and the application was granted without issue. This was a valuable first (of hopefully many!) experience of appearing at a Licensing Board Hearing and participating in the process from start to finish. While the application was straightforward, it reinforced the importance of careful preparation and attention to detail. It was a fantastic opportunity to implement skills I’ve developed over the course of my traineeship and I’m grateful to Karen and our Licensing team for their support. I now look forward to gaining further experience in licensing and corporate work as my traineeship continues.

If you’d like to speak to a member of our team in relation to any aspect of Licensing or Corporate matters, please get in touch with either myself or Karen Gatherum.

Find out more about our Licensing services here.

The information and opinions contained in this blog are for information only.  They are not intended to constitute advice and should not be relied upon or considered as a replacement for advice.  Before acting on any information contained in this blog, please seek solicitor’s advice from Gilson Gray.