Rural and agribusiness services
Leaders in the field
Comprehensive legal guidance for rural and agribusiness ventures
Our cross-sector rural and agribusiness legal team is at the cutting edge of developments in this sector. Our expertise and knowledge enables us to keep pace with changing agricultural legislation and advise clients on strategic opportunities such as viticulture, renewables, forestry, natural capital, development, branding and trademarks, and film location agreements.
About our rural and agribusiness services
We advise landed estates, farmers, private landowners, tenants and agribusinesses on a wide range of issues. Our experts can advise on agricultural property law, rural asset management and diversification and estate planning and trusts, as well as agricultural disputes, agricultural and rural employment matters, family law and corporate and commercial matters.
Many of our rural estate clients are now with the second generation, which testifies to the strength of our client relationships and the quality of our advice.
Head of the rural agribusiness team
Anita Symington heads up the rural and agribusiness team. She has a wealth of experience advising clients in the sector, including as a partner in a mixed farming business, a private client partner in a city law firm and two top 100 firms specialising in agricultural law. She was also a chief legal advisor to the CLA. She assists clients with agricultural property law and agribusiness matters including sales, purchases, tenancies, diversification, natural capital, renewables and agricultural secured lending.
Our areas of expertise
Russell-Cooke’s cross-sector rural and agribusiness offering brings together specialists from across the firm, enabling us to advise clients on real estate and development issues, agricultural disputes, rural trusts and estate planning, as well as agricultural farming compliance and prosecution.
Agricultural estate planning and trusts
Our experts advise clients on the structure of their estates to ensure they are tax efficient and adequate succession planning is in place...
Agricultural and rural employment
Our employment specialists advise landed estates, farmers, private landowners, tenants and agribusinesses in relation to a wide range of employment matters...
Agricultural disputes
Our specialists help landed estates, farmers, private landowners, tenants and agribusinesses navigate a wide range of contentious matters...
Agricultural land—family business
We advise on all family law issues including divorce, matrimonial finances, cohabitation disputes and pre and post-nuptial agreements...
Agricultural property law
We draw on the expertise of our private client, construction and planning teams to offer a holistic service to clients...
Corporate and commercial agribusiness
We advice in setting up new company structures, joint ventures, partnerships or other ownership agreements to avoid disputes or difficulties in the future...
Rural asset management and diversification
Our experts provide high quality advice on a diverse range of issues to maximise the opportunities available to land owners...
Our approach
We bring to clients the firm’s extensive business expertise in the wider agricultural area at a time when farms and estates are evolving and diversifying away from the traditional land owning model.
Our experienced team includes members of the Agricultural Law Association, the CLA and the Tenant’s Farmers Association, people who have published and lectured at national level and solicitors who have acted as the chief legal adviser to the CLA.
Get in touch
If you would like to speak with a member of the team, contact our rural agribusiness experts by email, by telephone on +44 (0)203 826 7689 or complete our enquiry form.
Rural and agribusiness team
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.
Rural and agribusiness articles
The latest news and insights from our rural and agribusiness team
31.07.2024
Planning law update—July 2024
19.02.2024
Opportunities and implications for developers and landowners arising from the enforced Biodiversity Net Gain under the Environment Act
26.10.2023
Biodiversity net gain—huge opportunity for landowners with open space