LEO CHARALAMBIDES JOINS FTB

We are delighted to announce that Leo Charalambides, formerly of Ely Place Chambers, has joined FTB with immediate effect.

At FTB Leo will continue to develop his broad licensing practice; he acts for a wide range of private and public clients across the full spectrum of local government licensing.

Leo is regularly instructed to represent operators from small family run businesses to multinational companies. He is, for example, currently instructed on the vast majority of contested petrol forecourt convenience store applications with three appeals pending which could have a major impact on the scope  of such applications.

Recently he successfully represented the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in setting aside a decision of a district judge to award costs against the local authority : Tower Hamlets LBC v Ashburn Estates Ltd (t/a The Troxy) [2011] EWHC 3504 (Admin). In its judgement the court also considered the competing interests and in particular the wider community interests that need to be considered by a local licensing authority on the receipt of a proper compromise offer.

Leo has been closely involved in the development and publication of the IoL Journal of Licensing and was appointed its Editor. The first issue of the Journal was  widely applauded.