5th Annual Alcohol Licensing Law Update: Online Conference

5th Annual Alcohol Licensing Update 2026 – Online Conference

Date: 8 October 2026
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:15 pm (includes tea break)

The Alcohol Licensing Update 2026 will provide a comprehensive and practical review of the key issues, legislative changes, and emerging trends in alcohol licensing law.

Now firmly established as a major annual event in the field, this half-day live and recorded online conference brings together seven leading specialists—each with many years of frontline experience advising operators, local authorities, and the police.

Over the course of the afternoon, our expert speakers will address a range of important and topical matters, combining analysis of recent developments with practical guidance on how to navigate them effectively in practice. The conference also looks ahead to the implications of current policy and case law for 2026 and beyond.

This event will be streamed live online, direct to your desktop, tablet, or smartphone, so you can take part wherever you are. Delegates will be able to submit questions to the speakers, and everyone who registers will receive a full recording and conference materials shortly after the event—so you can revisit the sessions or catch up at your convenience.

Prices

• £249 + VAT per organisation
  This is a per-organisation price, allowing up to an additional 20 delegates from the same organisation to participate at no extra cost—even from different locations or at different times.
  For example, if 10 colleagues attend, the cost per delegate is just £24.90 each.
• Special rate for smaller firms:
  Law firms with four or fewer partners or sole practitioners can book a single place for £99 + VAT.

Conference Topics 

• Tobacco and Vapes Bill 
• Mayor of London’s new powers to influence licensing decisions 
• Martyn’s Law Update 
• Licence Reviews, Summary Reviews and Closure Orders
• Defending Licensed Premises in 2026: Cumulative Impact Policies and Soho in particular as a microcosm 
• Digital Age Verification and Underage Sales: The New Compliance Framework 
• Fail to Prepare or Prepare to Fail: Getting Licensing Applications and Hearings Right

Speakers 

• Josef Cannon KC Cornerstone Barristers 
• Ewen Macgregor TLT Solicitors 
• Niall McCann Keystone Law 
• Chris Grunert John Gaunt & Partners 
• James Rankin, Francis Taylor Building 
• Gareth Hughes, Keystone Law 
• Luke Elford, Keystone Law 
• Chris Rees-Gay, Woods Whur

Who Should Attend?

This conference will be of particular interest to:

• Licensing solicitors and barristers
• Local authority licensing officers and committee members
• Police licensing teams
• Consultants and compliance professionals working with the licensed trade
• Operators and in-house counsel in the hospitality, events, and entertainment sectors

Learning Outcomes

By taking part in this conference, delegates will:

• Gain an up-to-date understanding of the principal legislative, policy and regulatory developments affecting alcohol licensing in 2026.
• Understand the likely licensing implications of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and the practical consequences for operators, advisers and enforcement authorities.
• Examine the Mayor of London’s new powers to influence licensing decisions and consider how these may affect applications, reviews and local licensing policy.
• Review the latest position under Martyn’s Law and identify the steps that licensed premises may need to take to meet their responsibilities.
• Develop a clearer understanding of the law and procedure relating to licence reviews, summary reviews and closure orders.
• Identify practical strategies for representing and defending licensed premises facing regulatory action.
• Consider the operation of cumulative impact policies and the evidential and strategic issues that arise when making or resisting applications in cumulative impact areas.
• Explore the particular challenges faced by licensed premises in Soho and the wider lessons that can be drawn from that area.
• Understand the developing compliance framework for digital age verification and underage sales.
• Identify practical measures that operators can take to reduce the risk of unlawful sales and demonstrate effective due diligence.
• Consider the respective approaches of operators, local authorities and the police to current licensing issues.
• Apply the legal and practical guidance provided by the speakers when advising clients, determining applications, managing licensed premises or responding to enforcement action.

Important Notes about Booking

1. Please ensure that, when booking, you get colleagues' email addresses entirely correct as failure to do so will probably mean that they will not receive joining instructions

2. Payment can be made by credit or debit card or alternatively by invoice. The option to pay by invoice is below the pay by card option in the booking form

3. If you don't have the complete list of who will be attending you can book for those that you know will be attending and add the others at a later date


The Legal Training Consultancy

The Legal Training Consultancy is a full-service training consultancy with a large portfolio of conferences, courses and trainers. Over the years we have been responsible for putting together a vast number of law, tax and management related conferences, webinars, seminars, videos and e-learning modules. Altogether substantially more than 2200.

**Over 24% of all law firms in the UK have attended our events**