Thomson Reuters names eight Keystone Law partners in its Stand-out Lawyers Guide 2026
Andrea James, Andrew Darwin & Anna McKibbin
“Extremely efficient, knowledgeable and reliable as well as personable and good to work with. He is commercially minded, very well connected and always secures results for us.”
- Tom Martin Director, ETM Group
“An experienced and determined licensing practitioner who is known and respected by all sides of the industry.”
- Legal 500 2017 client testimonial
Gareth is a skilled barrister who acts for clients in the hospitality and entertainment sectors on licensing and planning matters. He acts on behalf of clients before licensing committees and on appeal to the Magistrates’ Court, having dealt with cases up to the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords on major points of law.
With over 25 years’ experience representing leading companies and individuals in the hospitality sector, he has built a strong network of councillors, council officers, police and residents groups, particularly in the City of Westminster.
His leading clients include the South Bank Centre, Devonshire Square Club, The Curtain Hotel, Pho Restaurants, Beaufort House, Grange Hotels, Chinawhite, Kitts Nightclub, Cipriani, Mark Hix Restaurants, Guards Polo Club, Ministry of Sound, The Arts Club, ETM Group, Barts Club, and the Royal National Theatre. Gareth also represents landlords in dispute with operators and previously acted on behalf of the French government in a major planning application in Kensington and Chelsea.
Expertise
Gareth advises on licensing applications for restaurants, hotels, and leisure venues, including sexual entertainment venues and street trading, representing clients before licensing committees, managing multi-million-pound developments, and navigating complex local authority and community considerations.
Experience
- Acted for Devonshire Club (a large private members’ hotel and restaurant in the heart of the City of London) on the grant of a premises licence in 2016.
- Acted for L’Escargot (one of the oldest restaurants in Soho) in several applications.
- Acted for Curtain Hotel (a very large hotel in Shoreditch owned by Gansevoort Hotel Group from New York City, able to host up to 1,800 people and including a private members’ club in the basement, a large ground-floor restaurant, a conference suite, 220 rooms, a rooftop terrace, and pool area) on the grant of a premises licence in 2016.
- Acted on an application for new premises licence on going with planning and licensing with a stunning rooftop development in the heart of the City of London and with 360 degree views opening with much extended later hours.
- Advised and acted before licensing committee for client Maven Sports and Leisure in the matter of a premises licence for landmark major multimillion-pound development on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and Piccadilly Circus in the heart of Westminster City Council stress area opposition from residents association and police.
Gareth is a skilled barrister who acts for an impressive portfolio of clients in the hospitality and entertainment sectors on both licensing and planning matters.
Experience
- Acted for Devonshire Club (a large private members’ hotel and restaurant in the heart of the City of London) on the grant of a premises licence in 2016.
- Acted for L’Escargot (one of the oldest restaurants in Soho) in several applications.
- Acted for Curtain Hotel (a very large hotel in Shoreditch owned by Gansevoort Hotel Group from New York City, able to host up to 1,800 people and including a private members’ club in the basement, a large ground-floor restaurant, a conference suite, 220 rooms, a rooftop terrace, and pool area) on the grant of a premises licence in 2016.
- Acted on an application for new premises licence on going with planning and licensing with a stunning rooftop development in the heart of the City of London and with 360 degree views opening with much extended later hours.
- Advised and acted before licensing committee for client Maven Sports and Leisure in the matter of a premises licence for landmark major multimillion-pound development on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and Piccadilly Circus in the heart of Westminster City Council stress area opposition from residents association and police.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Recognised by Chambers UK for Licensing 2013–2026
Recognised in The Legal 500 as a Leading Individual for Licensing 2020–2026
Recognised by Best Lawyers UK for Licensing Practice 2023–2025
Recognised in Who’s Who Legal for Hospitality 2023
Recognised by The Legal 500 for Real Estate: Planning 2023
Recognised in Chambers UK for Licensing 2022
Recognised by Chambers UK for Licensing 2021
Recognised by The Legal 500 as a Leading Individual for Licensing 2018
Recognised by The Legal 500 for Planning and Licensing 2017
Chairman of the London Institute of Licensing
Member of the Society for the Study of Gambling
Member of the British Institute of Innkeeping
Member of Business in Sport and Leisure
“We are very happy with Gareth's services.”
Chambers UK 2025
“Gareth Hughes provides excellent high-quality personal service; he is an expert in the field.”
Chambers UK 2025
“Gareth Hughes has strong interpersonal skills, high-level intelligence and pays great attention to detail.”
Chambers UK 2023
“In this area of expertise there is no one more qualified.”
Chambers UK 2023
“Gareth Hughes is vastly experienced.”
The Legal 500 2023
“He is a formidable advocate.”
Chambers UK 2022
“He has encyclopaedic knowledge, and is personable and efficient.”
Chambers UK 2022
“Gareth Hughes continues to be excellent to work with, achieving deadlines with efficiency and professionalism. His knowledge of licensing is outstanding and I would have no hesitation in working with him again or recommending him to others.”
The Legal 500 2022
“Gareth Hughes is not only an expert in his field, he is a fine and fluent advocate.”
The Legal 500 2021
“Gareth Hughes draws on his extensive experience in planning matters to represent key London bars, hotels and entertainment venues in an array of complex licensing issues. His clients say: ‘He has great understanding and is very strategic in terms of how he approaches challenges.”
Chambers UK 2020
“Gareth Hughes of Keystone Law is a consultant barrister who draws on notable experience in representing major hospitality clients before licensing committees. ‘It's not only his knowledge of the law, but he also knows the right people and knows how to get things done,’ enthuses a source.”
Chambers UK 2019
“First class.”
The Legal 500 2018
“Gareth Hughes is a consultant barrister at Keystone Law who draws on notable experience in representing major hospitality clients before licensing committees. Interviewees describe him as a ‘natural advocate’ who is ‘formidable in licensing law’.”
Chambers UK 2018
“An experienced and determined licensing practitioner who is known and respected by all sides of the industry. ”
The Legal 500 2017
“Gareth Hughes of Keystone Law’s recent work includes successfully obtaining an extension to the opening hours of restaurant Absolutely Starving, amid opposition from the police and Lambeth council. Clients confirm that he ‘has always been excellent when doing work for us’.”
Chambers UK 2017
“Very good’ practitioner Gareth Hughes provides deep expertise and experience in licensing matters. His recent clients include prominent London hotels, nightclubs and entertainment venues.”
Chambers UK 2016
“Gareth Hughes is also recommended, and continues to act for the Southbank Centre.”
The Legal 500 2015
“A barrister who sources say ‘is very commanding – he does a lot of advocacy himself – and has a great knowledge of the law.’ He led an appeal against a decision to refuse a late licence for his client, the Tramshed, a new restaurant in Shoreditch. Following successful advocacy at the appeal, the licence was granted and the restaurant has now opened.”
Chambers UK 2013
“With ‘top-notch’ industry knowledge … The ‘extremely good’ Gareth
Hughes provided licensing advice to Pho restaurants on its expansion across the UK, and obtained a licence for an outdoor festival in Clapham …
”
Legal 500 2013
Gareth qualified as a barrister in 1984. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2016, he worked at the following firms:
- Jeffrey Green Russell
- Goldsmiths Buildings