By: 17 September 2021
Chris Rees-Gay re-joins Woods Whur

Licensing, regulatory and litigation law firm Woods Whur has appointed Chris Rees-Gay as a partner.

Rees-Gay (pictured) re-joins the Leeds-headquartered firm from Pinsent Masons. He was originally an assistant solicitor at Woods Whur.

He returns to Woods Whur as a partner specialising in alcohol, entertainment and gambling.

His practice deals with all aspects of licensing, both contentious and non-contentious.  He has experience of submitting all forms of licensing applications, appearing at licensing sub-committees and appeal hearings in Magistrates’ Courts.

In gambling, for example, Rees-Gay’s focus in recent years has been acting for operators (both remote and non-remote) on high-profile Gambling Commission operating licence reviews. In most cases, he has managed to secure a ‘regulatory settlement’ for the operator, ensuring that they were able to continue trading.

He has also assisted William Hill Online on a significant world-wide jurisdiction project, as part of its application for a Nevada gaming licence. In addition, he has advised a US operator on a Europe-wide multi-jurisdiction project, determining whether the product offered would be deemed a lottery.

Elsewhere, Rees-Gay has acted in all types of Licensing Act 2003 premises licences, and has undertaken contested hearings for one of the largest supermarket retailers in the country, against police, environmental health and residential opposition, and has a proven track record.

As well as acting for large national companies, he also represents a number of independent operators based in Leeds.