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
- Insolvency matters
Experience
- Successfully defended a well-known London pub in respect of a highly contested review application brought by numerous local residents
- Obtained a new premises licence for a brewery, bar and restaurant complex in one of Hackney Council’s Special Policy Areas.
- Acted on behalf of Carluccio’s in respect of its recent sale to Boparan Group.
- Obtained a new bar premises licence for an internationally recognised brand in the City of Westminster’s West End Stress Area outside of Core Hours.
- Varying twelve premises licences for a large brewery group to extend their hours.
- Successfully pursued a professional negligence claim in respect of advice given by an insolvency practitioner to a chain of pubs.
- Advised numerous prize competition operators on the legality of their offer.
- Successfully obtained new premises licences for an award winning bar and restaurant group across the south coast.
- Provided gambling law advice in respect of the proposed purchase of a large UK group of casinos.
- 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.
- Defended several health and safety prosecutions brought against clients in East London.
- Represented a new upmarket corner shop concept on their rapid roll out.
- Obtained a premises licence for an axe throwing venture despite high profile opposition.
- Represented a client based in the West County in a high profile fire safety prosecution
- Licensed the UK division of a large group of Spanish jamon shops.
- Applied for new licences for the world renowned Hurlingham Club.
- Represented local residents objecting to a Richmond hotel extending its licence.
- Acted for The Other House, a new hotel/serviced apartment concept in South Kensington, obtaining its first premises licence.
- Acted for Hotel Meudon, the latest luxury boutique hotel in Cornwall, in respect of its redevelopment.
- Advised prize draw operators on how to operate legally.
- Assisted with the attempted acquisition of a large UK casino operator by an EU operator.
- Applying for premises licences, defending review applications, assisting with corporate transactions and providing legal opinions.
- Defended a client facing a serious UK Gambling Commission review citing numerous failings.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Recognised in Chambers UK (2019-2025) for Licensing
“He is a breath of fresh air.”–Chambers UK 2025
“We instantly found Niall highly knowledgeable, but down-to-earth and ready to get to the crux of the matter.“Chambers UK 2025
“Niall is a very well-regarded and knowledgeable licensing solicitor.”Chambers UK 2025
Acknowledged by Chambers 2025 for acting for clients in the hospitality and entertainment sectors. He frequently advises on licensing applications and negotiations with local authorities.
Recognised by Best Lawyers (UK) in the practice area of Licensing (2024 – 2025)
“Provides excellent service and communication. He is an expert in his field.” Chambers UK 2024
“Niall has been in the industry for many years and knows what makes a hospitality business tick. His legal advice inevitably addresses whatever the legal issue is, but it will be accompanied by a commercial assessment or commentary to put that advice into context.” Chambers UK 2024
“Niall has an encyclopedic knowledge of licensing law.” Chambers UK 2024
Recognised as a Leading Individual in The Legal 500 for Licensing (2019-2025)
Recognised in The Legal 500 for Gaming and Betting (2019-2025)
“Niall McCann – vastly experienced in licensing matters with excellent judgment.” The Legal 500 2024
“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
“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