A Hackney Carriage Licence holder was wise enough to instruct me to represent him at his appeal against the revocation of his Hackney Carriage Licence.
The hearing involved a trial of the issues that led to his licence revocation and then presentation of witnesses on behalf of the appellant licence holder. There was also a complex legal issue over the relevance of the Human Rights Act to deal with.
Fortunately, the appeal was successful and the revocation reversed; my client left the Council Offices with his Hackney Carriage Licence intact and able to work again as a cabby!
In hearings of this nature, the approach of the advocate is all-important. There has to be a genuine respect for the committee members and their knowledge of life. They may not be legally trained, but have an abundance of life skills and business awareness. In addition, there is an important opportunity for the advocate to persuade the committee to run the hearing on quasi-criminal basis, ensuring the case for the appellant is fully advanced in a structured way. A chat with the legal adviser beforehand is necessary to ensure the lawyers have a good understanding of the legal issues. Collaboration is the key, not confrontation!