Inside knowledge is a valuable asset, and one which can make the difference between winning and losing – essentially, achieving your goal.
Clearly, football analogies abound at the moment, what with the World Cup going on. But we’re talking business successes here. Not the kind of dodgy insider dealing practised (allegedly) by some politicians and City types. No, we’re focusing strictly on legal matters – adhering to licensing laws and securing a good outcome with client applications.
As regular readers of the Complete Licensing blog will know, our strength – and success – is built on expertise in particular fields. We use experts to support licence applications in areas such as crime and disorder or acoustics and, of course, we have massively experienced legal expertise to call on.
Robert Sutherland falls into the latter category. A London-based solicitor advocate, he practises as a solicitor but is qualified as a barrister, which means he can represent clients in any court or hearing.
The phrase ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’ is horribly overused (and not strictly appropriate when we’re talking legal matters), but Robert is a man who’s seen the licensing business from both sides.
He began his legal career in the 1980s, working in the magistrates’ courts service and then training magistrates before becoming Clerk to the licensing justices in Westminster. That represented a pretty diverse and heavy case load, and it’s fair to say that not much in licensing surprises Robert nowadays.
He switched ‘sides’ and set up his own legal practice in the late 1980s. And, having specialised in licensing law throughout his career, Robert is someone we are always confident of turning to for the best guidance.
Robert Sutherland falls into the latter category. A London-based solicitor advocate, he practises as a solicitor but is qualified as a barrister, which means he can represent clients in any court or hearing.
The phrase ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’ is horribly overused (and not strictly appropriate when we’re talking legal matters), but Robert is a man who’s seen the licensing business from both sides.
He began his legal career in the 1980s, working in the magistrates’ courts service and then training magistrates before becoming Clerk to the licensing justices in Westminster. That represented a pretty diverse and heavy case load, and it’s fair to say that not much in licensing surprises Robert nowadays.
He switched ‘sides’ and set up his own legal practice in the late 1980s. And, having specialised in licensing law throughout his career, Robert is someone we are always confident of turning to for the best guidance.
“It’s rare that an application doesn’t have complications, but that’s a test of your skills and abilities – research, identifying problems, working on solutions – approaching the issues forensically,” Robert says.
“Using the information and knowledge from our policing and acoustics experts, for example, is crucial in preparing a comprehensive application that allows us to cover all bases. Licensing authorities may disallow an application because of the slightest overlooked issue, so you have to be very sure that all bases are covered.
“At the same time, managing expectations with clients is an important part of my role. It’s crucial to have a high degree of openness and sometimes clients have to scale back their ambitions and compromise, because their plans are just not going to meet with approval.
“Being straight with clients is a necessity – whether it’s about risk, costs or benefits. Ultimately it’s up to our client to make a decision based on what we advise, but we do always advise properly.”
Not that all applications end up in pitched battles or even reach the stage of a physical presence at hearings. “If our approach is right and we’ve anticipated – and addressed – the requirements of the licensing authorities correctly, then we often find that the authority’s officers will recommend approval. That’s obviously the best way to go and is proof that we’re doing our job.
“There will always be contentious issues but it’s my job – our job – to prepare properly and smooth the way as much as we can.”