Agriculture & Rural Affairs | UK

Burges Salmon has a large Bristol team that has a long history of acting for landed estates. It handles property, tax and succession, company law and disputes matters for a broad range of clients. The team is noted for its work with institutional landowners and farming and food production businesses. It also regularly acts for high-profile financial institutions on secured lending transactions.

Charles Russell Speechlys has a highly regarded rural services team that is widely noted for its work with high net worth individuals and large landed estates. It has longstanding relationships with significant estate clients. The department has a broad agriculture practice, encompassing property law and estate planning. It is also able to combine rural expertise with full-service advice for clients with international interests.

Clarke Willmott benefits from historical links to major agricultural institutions. It advises clients on a broad range of transactional and contentious rural property matters. The firm houses agricultural specialists in a number of practice groups, including employment, family and planning. It offers in-depth expertise in relation to landed estates and advises landowners on the management of rural estates.

Michelmores has a well-regarded agricultural team in Bristol and Exeter. It is notable for strength in depth on contentious and transactional agriculture work. The team has strong client relationships with private landowners, local authorities and landed estates. It also provides corporate expertise for large farming companies.

Ashfords acts for agricultural businesses, farmers and financial institutions on rural matters. It offers expertise in farming tenancies and agricultural mortgages. The department handles contentious agriculture work in conjunction with its specialist contentious trusts team. Ashfords has a growing reputation acting for high net worth clients in relation to succession planning and farm management.

Foot Anstey's well-regarded rural team advises landed estates, financial institutions and farming clients on agricultural property and business matters. It has recently been active in farm receiverships and agricultural recoveries for lending institutions. The group also has a growing profile for advising on issues surrounding telecommunication masts on rural land.

Thrings has a respected agricultural practice with a strong presence in the South West. It advises farming businesses, members of rural organisations and landed estates on a range of agricultural law matters. Members of the team also act for financial institutions on secured lending transactions. The group also advises on renewable energy issues, including solar power and wind energy matters.

Loxley is a specialist firm that is highly praised for its dedication to agricultural matters. It offers expertise in rural issues for clients, including landed estates, agricultural landlords and tenants, and farming businesses. The firm is known for handling matters affecting rural property owners and farmers, including litigation. It has further expertise in animal welfare and sporting rights.

"The team have a number of specialists who liaise well with each other to find the answers; they have a nice approachable manner but a firm approach to handling disputes when required. They also offer pragmatic advice, so clients are not left disappointed."