Our dedicated Landed Estates team looks after a number of significant landed estates across England and Wales. Working as part of the “Estate Team” with other professional advisers on the estate our advice is coordinated and comprehensive. The team is ranked by Chambers High Net Worth, for Real Estate High Value Residential – National Leaders Outside of London.
Our Team comprises lawyers and other qualified professionals who have wide ranging interests and expertise in advising rural clients. These include Chartered Surveyors in the Rural Division of the RICS, a Chartered Accountant and a KC who understand the issues and demands affecting rural landownership.
Reflecting the commercial environment in which many estates operate our approach is to add value rather than (for example) to explain what cannot be done. For example the building of a Continuing Care Retirement Community on previously undeveloped land. Typically our services include:
A lead partner is the main point of contact with responsibility for service delivery, cost control, full knowledge of the estate, the client and their strategic objectives and goals. Working closely with the other professionals the advice takes into account practical aspects or local sensitivities. For many clients we act as an “in-house” legal team in terms of engagement, responsiveness and service.
We are flexible on fee arrangements from annual retainers, fixed fees or more traditional type arrangements to suit each individual client’s cashflow requirements and to ensure they receive best value.
Providing a full legal service to a 6,000+ acre estate including agricultural property, commercial property, contentious employment, planning and environmental and strategic private client, trust and tax advice. Recent work has included dealing with the negotiating of various commercial and agricultural leases, including with the Ministry of Defence, succession and tax advice for the family.
Providing a full legal service to a 4000+ acre Settled Land Act Trust estate including agricultural, commercial and residential property, employment, planning and strategic private client, trust and tax advice. Recent work has included high level private client advice on specific trust matters, negotiation of a lease of the principal mansion house for use as a hotel to a boutique hotel chain and strategic residential development advice.
Negotiating section 106 planning agreements and promotion agreements for landowners for residential development.
Acting for a large estate on a series of joint venture agreements for the delivery of housing on development land within the estate. The most recent has just exchanged with a major house builder on a site with consent for 350 dwellings.
Guiding a family-owned rural business through the creation of a family constitution. This family has a particularly wide range of engagement and varied professions among the family members.
Advising the beneficiaries of a number of trusts connected with a landed estate, including in relation to the divorce of one beneficiary, loans to fund the property development business of another beneficiary and advising in relation to long term inheritance tax planning.
Advising an estate in relation to continuing employment issues, including the contentious removal of the resident agent, the retirement of a finance assistant and the long term sick leave of a forester.
