Gerald Gouriet KC KC > Francis Taylor Building > London, England > Barrister Profile
Francis Taylor Building Offices
FRANCIS TAYLOR BUILDING, INNER TEMPLE
LONDON
EC4Y 7BY
England
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Gerald Gouriet KC KC
Work Department
Licensing
Gambling
Position
Gerald’s practice embraces the full range of licensing regulation, with recent emphasis on gambling, alcohol and entertainment, and taxi licensing. He is widely recognised as “the doyen of the [KCs] in this field”: Chambers and Partners, 2022.
He is General Editor of ‘Patersons Licensing Acts’ and of ‘Smith & Monkcom: The Law of Gambling’. As a known expert in his field, he was invited to give evidence before the House of Lords Select Committee on the Licensing Act 2003 (2017), and before the House of Lords Select Committee on Gambling Harm (2020).
Gerald’s list of clients includes: The Royal Opera House; The Albert Hall; John Lewis; Waitrose; The Dorchester Hotel; Tottenham Hotspur Football Club; The Football Pools Ltd; Trust Inns Ltd; Mitchells & Butlers; The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA); Caesar’s Palace (Las Vegas); Cashino Gaming Ltd; Paddy Power; Ladbrokes; Corals; and William Hill. He was successful in obtaining gaming licences for the last of the great 1968 Act Casinos in Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Birmingham and Huddersfield; climaxing with the grant, on appeal, of the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square.
Career
General Editor, Paterson’s Licensing Acts
General Editor, Smith & Monkcom: the Law of Gambling
Education
- Bachelor of Music (Royal College of Music)
- Called to the Bar: 1974
- Queen’s Counsel: 2006
- Appointed a General Editor of Paterson’s Licensing Acts: 2015
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Licensing
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Gerald Gouriet KC –Francis Taylor Building ‘He is an expert tactician drawn from decades of experience. He can almost always give examples of similar historical situations for reference.’
Francis Taylor Building is ‘one of the premier sets in the context of alcohol licensing and has excellent strength in terms of some of the leading juniors around.’ The set houses barristers who represent nightclubs, bars, restaurants, casinos, betting shops, and major festivals, among others. Gerald Gouriet KC chiefly acted in gambling licensing matters in 2024, but represented Veezu Holdings Limited as an intervener in Uber Britannia v Sefton MBC, a case concerning if private hire platforms who accept bookings are required to themselves enter into a contractual obligation with the passenger to provide the journey. Also of note is David Matthias KC, who is adept at representing local authorities with licensing policies, and has a great deal of experience in this area. Another key name to note is Jeremy Phillips KC, whose ‘knowledge of premises licensing is immense‘. The set’s deep bench of juniors includes Leo Charalambides whose ‘knowledge of areas around licensing, such as the public sector equality duty’ stands out, whilst also specialising in licensing. Charalambides recently led a challenge in the High Court by a south London nightclub to the lawfulness of holding a remote licensing hearing, during which its premises license was revoked.