Luke Elford

Practice Areas

Luke acts for a wide variety of clients from single-site operators to multibillion-pound businesses and undertakes the full range of licensing applications.

He has also got extensive experience on appeals to the Magistrates’ Court. His practice is predominantly focused on central London and dealing with the challenges presented by Cumulative Impact Areas, but is also available to help when things have gone wrong and have been involved in several high-profile reviews, summary reviews, and prosecutions.

He is a member of the Institute of Licensing (IoL), the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII), the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), and the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA). Luke also holds the Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH).

Career

Luke qualified as a Solicitor in 2012 having completed his training contract at Tower Hamlets council. On qualification, he joined the council’s Enforcement & Litigation Team working on everything from low-level street crime to multimillion-pound fraud cases and high-value litigation. It was in the Enforcement & Litigation Team that he discovered the world of alcohol and entertainment licensing, and he haven’t looked back.

Leaving the council towards the end of 2014 he joined licensing practice, Jeffrey Green Russell, working closely with leading licensing lawyer Julian Skeens. Acting on behalf of operators he was able to put the knowledge he had gained at the council to good use and help clients achieve some fantastic results.

Along with Julian, Luke left Jeffrey Green Russell for TLT in 2015. From there Luke joined Woods Whur in 2019, joining John Gaunt & Partners in 2022.

Personal

Away from licensing I enjoy most sports, but particularly football and cricket – more watching than playing these days unfortunately. I also enjoy trying new restaurants and bars, as well as watching films at the cinema.