Estates and rural services

We’re trusted estates and rural law advisors to a number of family and charitable estates, with relationships spanning decades; handling all of their property transactions, registration of estates with the Land Registry, wills and inheritance planning, and increasingly commercial work as estates seek new ways to diversify beyond just farming.

What we do

• A full range of services to agricultural, rural and estate clients – property, tax, charities, private client, litigation and commercial services. Significant increases in land values combined with the increasing diversification of enterprises carried on by estates has put the spotlight on ensuring they maximise eligibility for business property and agricultural property reliefs for inheritance tax purposes. We have initiated reviews of agricultural estates to optimise tax efficiency. Our sector focus allows us to draw on a range of services to cover all implications including tax, commercial, employment and property considerations. 
• Involvement in high-value land transactions – our team handle large scale national agricultural and rural land sale and purchase transactions. 
• Significant experience in trusts, companies and partnerships. 
• Large and complex estates - our sector specialists, including two accountants, are well placed to handle the complex administration of large estates, with business and tax implications. 
• Member of the Country Landowners Association and Agricultural Law Association - attending meetings and being involved in discussions on issues relevant to our sector and clients. 
• Given our sector focus, we understand our clients’ wider objectives - underpinning our ongoing advice on tax structures, acting on development and refinancing projects and commercial arrangements in order to improve income for the estate. 
• A national team of sector-focused lawyers - working together across our property, private client, commercial corporate, employment, construction, insurance, fraud, insolvency, data, regulatory and property litigation service specialisms, we offer the full service in landed estates and rural work.