Sue Dowling

Partner Sue Dowling is head of our Employment Law team and also a nationally recognised expert in venue licensing. She advises clients from our Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Wokingham offices, as well as remotely.

Employment Law 

An advocate by training, Sue specialisies in dealing with complex employment litigation involving unlawful discrimination, with a particular emphasis on mental impairment disability discrimination matters. She also advises employers and senior employees on a wider range of Employment Law issues. 

Sue provides strategic Employment Law and HR advice to CEOs, MDs, finance directors and HR directors, assisting them in their business decisions and with a view to minimising the risk of employment litigation.

She frequently assists company clients in handling the restructuring of management tiers/teams and, where necessary, the departure of high-level executives – adopting a business, no-nonsense, pragmatic approach. Sue is an expert in the tax aspects of exiting arrangements (through settlement agreements or otherwise). She also advises clients regarding business immigration matters, including intra-company tier 2 transfers and ‘business visitors’ criteria.

Sue is recommended in the UK's leading guides to law firms, Chambers UK Guide and The Legal 500, and has appeared on BBC Radio as a legal expert. 

Venue Licensing

Through her advocacy training, Sue developed expertise in the field of venue licensing (originally before the Magistrates Court and now before licensing committees). In particular, she advises major sports grounds, entertainment venues and hotels on alcohol and regulated entertainment licensing. She also provides advice in relation to general safety and special safety certification of sports grounds; gambling (including track betting licences); PPL; PRS and wedding licences. 

Sue's expertise is recognised in Chambers UK Guide and The Legal 500, with the latter naming her a 'leading partner' in the field. 

She is often instructed by/works in conjunction with City lawyers when their clients have particular venue licensing requirements. 

Sue is an experienced advocate, appearing regularly in committees and employment tribunals, in London and across the country.

Examples of recent work

• Advising a UK subsidiary company on implementing an inter-company transfer (tier 2, immigration rules) to enable a particular employee from its USA parent company to work in the UK.
• Advising a bar/club company, upon the expiry of its lease, on its employment law obligations relating to the possible transfer of its staff under Transfer of Undertakings Regulations (TUPE).
• Acting for an employee in a multi-strand disability discrimination claim in the employment tribunal, concerning depressive illness amounting to a 'mental impairment', against a global IT organisation.
• Advising a longstanding employee and her partner in a claim of sexual orientation discrimination against a major educational establishment.
• Acting for a director and shareholder of a private limited company on his forced exit from the organisation – in relation to his employment and shareholding rights.
• Regularly advising headteachers, bursars and business managers of independent schools and colleges on a wide variety of education employment related issues.
• Advising a senior executive on his exit from an international organisation, conducting negotiations leading to a settlement valued at several million pounds.

• Advising a Premier League football club on a series of successfully granted premises licence applications (relating to Regulated Entertainment and the sale of Alcohol at their Stadium and other campus venues), including drafting the applications and supporting documents, with bespoke proposed licence conditions.
• Acting for a Premier League football club regarding obtaining a new premises licence for its newly constructed 11 level stadium,  drafting the application and supporting documentation and securing the licence without the need for a committee hearing.
• Acting for the RFU in obtaining a new premises licence for Twickenham Rugby Stadium to tie in with the completion of the newly expanded and refurbished East Stand.
• Making 16 applications for new premises licences for the bar/restaurant/hospitality units under the “tent” at The O2, in relation to the newly built ICON At The O2, designer outlet, all successfully obtained.
• Advising a London cricket ground on its licensing requirements on the planned alteration of part of the ground.
• Acting for a major Arena in London in relation to its licensing requirements (to enable internal reconfiguration of bars/hospitality areas to be undertaken).
• Acting for a major commerical catering company in relation to the development of a new university campus and the restaurant/bar facilities to be provided (to students, visitors and to the general public) including licensing a hotel within the site.