Niall is a licensing, gambling and regulatory specialist who advises on applications pursuant to the Licensing Act 2003, Gambling Act 2005 and all associated compliance and regulatory matters. He regularly appears before the courts and sub-committees throughout England and Wales as an advocate. His expertise also encompasses advising on the impact of insolvency in respect to licensed premises. His clients include pub companies, restaurants, bars, hotels, nightclubs, off-licences and events spaces.
He also advises on a wide range of civil litigation matters such as contractual disputes, professional negligence claims, breach of warranty claims and insolvency.
Expertise
- Gambling
- Licensing
- Regulatory and compliance work
- Planning
- Health and safety
- Civil litigation
- Contractual disputes
- Professional negligence claims
- Competition law
- Landlord and tenant disputes
- Insolvency matters
Experience
- Successfully defended a highly contested review application brought by numerous local residents.
- Obtained a new premises licence for a brewery in one of Hackney Council’s Special Policy Areas.
- Obtained a new premises licence for an internationally recognised brand in the City of Westminster’s West End Stress Area outside of Core Hours.
- Successfully pursued a professional negligence claim in respect of advice given by an insolvency practitioner to a chain of pubs.
- Settled a contractual dispute, at mediation, in respect of a claim worth in excess of £2m.
- Obtained alcohol licences for a group of blow dry and updo bars as they roll out across London, to allow customers to enjoy champagne and cocktails during their treatments.
- Represented Popin, a new upmarket corner shop concept which is looking to expand quickly.
- Acted for a wine shop and bar group about to open its second shop in North West London.
- Secured a premises licence for an award-winning Japanese tea and sake shop in East London.
- Licensed the UK division of a large group of Spanish jamon shops.
- Acted for The Other House, a new hotel/serviced apartment concept in South Kensington, obtaining its first premises licence.
- Acted for the late Sir Terence Conran in opening the Boundary Hotel in Shoreditch.
- Acted for The Hoxton Hotel in High Holborn in obtaining its alcohol licence.
- Acting for Hotel Meudon, the latest luxury boutique hotel in Cornwall, in respect of its redevelopment.
- Acting for the Cubitt House group which are redeveloping their sites to include hotel accommodation.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Recognised in Chambers UK (2019-2023) for Licensing
“He was totally committed and his knowledge, experience and manner gave us real confidence in what were doing.” Chambers UK 2023
“He’s approachable, accessible and commercially minded. He is always ready to fight our corner when required.” Chambers UK 2023
“Niall McCann is commercially and strategically astute and has superb interpersonal skills.” Chambers UK 2023
as a Leading Individual in The Legal 500 for Licensing (2019-2023)
Recognised in The Legal 500 for Gaming and Betting (2019-2023)
“Niall McCann at Keystone Law has the great virtue of responsiveness, accessibility and a real understanding of the sector in which he works. He doesn’t try and bill for every single phone call; his approach to billing is clear, holistic and client focused.” The Legal 500 2023
“I generally work with Niall McCann. He’s responsive, commercially minded in his advice, accessible, has his ear to the ground (and therefore alert to developments in the industry) and is well known to licensing authorities. He has a great down to earth approach, very knowledgeable on his subject, but practical in his advice. Strongly recommended.” The Legal 500 2023
“He is always available, and his legal and commercial advice have been invaluable. He has a quick-thinking brain and is a first-rate advocate.” Chambers UK 2022
“His advice has a strong commercial element to it; he gives full and correct legal advice but he is a lawyer with his feet firmly planted on the ground and understands the sector we operate in and the challenges we face.” Chambers UK 2022
“My go-to licensing lawyer is Niall McCann. Niall has excellent knowledge and experience of licensing, is well known to the licensing authorities and always delivers sound and timely advice. Particularly with the challenges of Covid, Niall has been wonderfully proactive about keeping us up to date with changes in the guidelines, etc which affect our restaurants.” The Legal 500 2022
“Niall has a wealth of knowledge on the topic and his experience and contacts are invaluable. His advice is always framed within the relevant legal framework, but where he makes a difference is his local knowledge and the strategic input. He is very approachable, accessible and helpfully proactive when dealing with applications.” Chambers UK 2021
“Whether taking on big or small cases, he handles it with poise, professionalism and calm.” Chambers UK 2021
Noted for achieving ‘excellent results‘, especially when advising nightclubs, off-licences and events. The Legal 500 2021
“Niall McCann’s advice and work is always of the highest quality which yields excellent results.” The Legal 500 2021
Clients appreciate Niall McCann’s responsiveness as well as his impressive knowledge of the sector, adding: “He has exceeded expectation every time. He has a very level head and calm way of dealing with every situation.” He regularly advises clients operating in the retail and casual dining spaces on their licensing applications. Chambers UK 2020
Recommended in The Legal 500 2019 for Gaming and Betting, Licensing and Commercial Litigation
“Niall is very approachable, has a good sense of humour and is a first-rate strategist.” Chambers UK 2019
Career
Niall qualified as a solicitor in 2003. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2019, he worked at the following firms:
- Joelson
- Reed Smith