Liquor Licensing

“We’re here to offer clients a complete range of services – and given our clients’ often-complex business challenges, we have become very good at delivering the right mix of services to help them resolve these.”

Elizabeth Priddle, Director, BSP Lawyers

BSP Lawyers provides liquor licensing advice and services to many clients within Victoria’s hospitality industry, both in metropolitan areas and regional locations, including many individual hotel and club operators, as well as larger hotel groups, restaurateurs and other operators of licensed premises.

We use a pragmatic, well-tested approach to help our clients apply for new liquor licences and variations to current licences. We also provide extensive advice on due diligence issues, procedural requirements and compliance issues for transactions involving licensed premises (with or without gaming machines).

Our liquor licensing services cover all requirements and applications under the Liquor Control Reform Act [1998], including:

New licence applications.

Transfers or variations of existing licences.

VCGLR appearances on behalf of licensees in applications by Police or a Council to cancel, suspend or vary licences or individuals’ involvements in the liquor industry.

Acting for objectors at the VCGLR against the grant of a new licence or a variation to an existing licence.

Appearing before the Full Commission of the VCGLR on an application to review the decision of single Commissioner or Delegate.

Approval of new management arrangements relating to licensed premises.

We provide commercial operators with a range of advice and services around:

Sale and purchase of a business and/ or freehold.

The preparation of leases for licensed businesses.

Sales and acquisitions of freehold properties (whether as part of a business transaction, or subject to a lease of a licensed business).

Sales and purchases of licensed businesses (with or without gaming machines) including all legal due diligence.

Advice regarding the Retail Leases Act 2003, which affects most hospitality leases.

Corporate and Commercial

Hospitality and Gaming

For more information about our services in the liquor licensing area, contact us today.