The Licensing Team

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About Licensing Legal Solicitors

Licensing Legal Solicitors is a firm of licensing specialists, based in Manchester. We provide national licensing advice and representation.

We act for a number of operators, both regionally and nationally. We have also recently been instructed by Lancashire Constabulary to advise and represent the police force on licensing matters.

We are regulated by the Law Society and carry full indemnity insurance as required by Law Society rules.

Anthony Horne (Partner) - Tel: 0161 237 9961

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Anthony was educated at Manchester Grammar School and Cambridge University. He qualified in 1985 and spent the first part of his career with Burton Copeland where he was made a partner in 1988. Following moves within Manchester, in April 1999 he joined Weightmans and was later appointed Head of the Licensing Department. With the approval of Weightmans, Anthony entered into partnership with Richard Williams at Licensing Legal in September 2004.

Anthony has experience in most areas of licensing law and over the years has been involved in high profile cases such as the licensing of the first indoor velodrome in Europe, the first new casino in Manchester for 30 years and a multi-faceted development in Manchester City Centre involving 16 site licences.

Richard Williams (Partner) - Tel: 0161 237 9961

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Richard was educated at Bolton School and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He qualified as a Solicitor at Cobbetts in Manchester and worked initially as a property lawyer, specialising in licensed property transactions. After 2 years he moved within Cobbetts to deal exclusively with liquor and entertainment licensing.

More recently, Richard was employed in London at specialist licensing firm Joelson Wilson & Co, dealing with liquor and entertainment licensing and gaming. He has been involved in numerous contested liquor and entertainment licence applications, including those in Westminster.

Whilst at Joelson Wilson, he was the co-author of the Publican legal page and has recently written several chapters of a textbook about the new Licensing Act.

He resigned from his position at Joelson Wilson in early 2004 in order to set up Licensing Legal Solicitors.

He continues to advise and represent clients on a national basis.

Carrol Ashton (Licensing Manager) - Tel: 0161 237 9961

E-mail Carrol Ashton

Carrol was educated at Spurley Hey High School, Manchester. She began her career with Greater Manchester Police in 1981 as an Administration Assistant/Clerk in the main Forces Central Licensing Department. Having established a keen interest in the subject she became the Police Civilian Licensing Officer covering the Trafford area of Greater Manchester in 1985, making her one of the 1st (if not the 1st) Civilian Licensing Officers in the country, a position she held until January 2000, when she left the Police to join the private sector at a licensing firm in Manchester.

Carrol joined Weightmans, Manchester in April 2001 and moved with the Licensing Team to Licensing Legal in August 2004.