Law firm Harrison Drury has recruited one of the UK’s leading licensing lawyers as a partner.
The firm has appointed Malcolm Ireland, an expert with over 15 years’ experience representing clients including hotels, bars, restaurants, pub companies, breweries, and holiday and caravan parks.
As head of leisure and licensing, he will advise on legal matters around the sale of alcohol, regulated entertainment, and late-night refreshment, including new licence applications, transfers, variations, the defence of review applications, appeals and judicial reviews.
Malcolm will also lead a team of lawyers working across a range of legal disciplines to offer a tailored service to businesses in the leisure sector.
John Chesworth, executive chairman of Harrison Drury, said: “There are very few people with Malcolm’s level of legal knowledge and experience in the leisure sector.
“For many years he has been the region’s ‘go to’ person on licensing matters for a wide range of businesses, from individual bars and restaurants to some of the largest pub companies in the UK.
“These are crucial times for the leisure and hospitality sector as the industry gets back on its feet after the pandemic.”
Malcolm is a member of the British Institute of Innkeepers (BII) and the Institute of Licensing.
In 2008, Malcolm dealt with a judicial review which resulted in the High Court delivering a judgment believed to be the first of its kind under the Licensing Act 2003, creating case law that still stands.
Harrison Drury has an office in Kendal.
