David Dadds
Solicitor/Advocate
David is a founding member and partner of the Dadds LLP practice and has many years of experience as a Licensing Lawyer.
He is qualified as both a Barrister and Solicitor-Advocate (Higher Courts, all Proceedings), having attained his Higher Rights from the Solicitors Regulation Authority, allowing David to act as advocate and represent clients in all Civil and Criminal Courts in the UK.
He acts on matters from hearings before Licensing Sub-Committees, licensing appeals to the Magistrates’ Court and applications for Case Stated and Judicial Review at the High Court.
With an enviable reputation as a tenacious and effective advocate, David continues to successfully represent a number of high profile clients including Amika Mayfair, Inventive Leisure Services (operators of Revolution vodka bars) and the Sugar Hut Group, garnering praise for his passionate and robust approach. He also represents a varied and ever-growing range of operators across the breadth of the country, ranging from small businesses to national chains as well as offering advice on licensing matters to numerous local authorities.
David’s expertise in licensing matters is recognised by his contributions to Paterson’s Licensing Acts, the foremost publication on UK licensing law. He has also contributed material to Lexis Nexis Butterworths.
David recently gave well-received expert advice and assistance, described as "useful" and "helpful" by MPs, to the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group in its Beer Tax Fraud Inquiry on the licensing of wholesalers, duty-evaded alcohol and powers of seizure available to Trading Standards Officers.
With Dadds LLP Licensing Solicitors a recognised partner of and provider of legal advice to the National Pubwatch organisation, David has spoken on a range of licensing matters at the National Pubwatch Conferences in 2013 and 2014.
What others say about him
David Dadds’ expertise was acknowledged in the independently researched and produced Legal 500 2011, being described as “the masterful David Dadds of Dadds LLP”. Particular note was made of the “fantastic personal service” he offers, with the much-respected publication going on to say that he was “renowned for his advocacy work”.
The 2012 edition of the Legal 500 described him as "exceptional", making special note of his "tenacity", "encyclopaedic knowledge" and "lateral thinking", with the 2013 edition going on to describe him as a "very helpful lawyer" with "outstanding advocacy skills".