Rural and agribusiness

Russell-Cooke’s cross-sector rural and agribusiness offering brings together the firm’s broad range of specialisms including real estate law, agricultural finance, natural capital and forestry, planning, development, viticulture, portfolio diversification, rural housing, farming structures, agricultural disputes, rural trusts and estate planning as well as agricultural and farming compliance and prosecution.

• Agricultural property law: The team has a wealth of experience advising clients on buying, selling, developing, financing and letting agricultural and landed estates.  The team comprises specialist planning, construction, real estate finance, corporate and agricultural property solicitors that can provide a full service to clients who require bespoke advice in this area of law.
• Rural asset management and diversification: Agricultural legislation and income support is changing rapidly and Russell-Cooke aims to provide high quality advice on a diverse range of issues to maximise the opportunities available to land owners.  Viticulture, wind farms, trademarks and film location agreements are just some of the ways the team has helped clients diversify and increase income from the assets they hold.
• Corporate and commercial: Russell-Cooke’s corporate team helps rural clients on all aspects of their agribusiness. They aim to provide clear practical advice in setting up new company structures, joint ventures, partnerships or other ownership agreements to avoid disputes or difficulties in the future.
• Estate planning and trusts: Russell-Cooke’s team of private client lawyers help structure clients’ property and affairs to ensure that their rural estates are managed effectively and pass to the intended beneficiaries in the most tax-efficient way. The team help with the creation, administration and variation of trusts and provide advice on tax and succession planning.
• Agricultural disputes: The agricultural disputes team have experience of helping rural clients resolve disputes over a diverse range of issues. We have specialist lawyers that can assist with agricultural tenancy disputes, contentious trust and probate matters, adverse possession claims, boundary disputes, telecoms or other utility or easement disputes as well as farming compliance and prosecution matters.
• Agricultural and rural employment: Russell-Cooke’s employment team is legal directory rated and specialises in advising both employees and employers on all aspects of UK employment law. The team can provide bespoke advice on all employment related matters arising in the rural and agricultural sector.
• Family law: The family law team at Russell Cooke advise on all family law issues including divorce, matrimonial finances, cohabitation disputes and pre and post-nuptial agreements. If agricultural land is involved this specialist advice is particularly important as it can also potentially affect the control and running of the family business.

We work closely with our clients to understand their agribusiness needs, goals and challenges to achieve an outcome that is right for them. This in depth knowledge of the client and their rural business enables us to provide tailored practical advice to owners and occupiers of landed estates and farms. This approach is borne out by the fact that many of our rural estate clients are now with the second generation.

Our Rural and Agribusiness team brings together a number of specialist lawyers from across the firm who are able to advise clients on a broad range of matters affecting landed estates and farms. The team includes members of the Tenant’s Farmers Association, people who have lectured at national level and solicitors who have acted as the chief legal adviser to the CLA (Country Land and Business Association).