Agricultural Solicitors for Farmers, Landowners and Rural Businesses
Ashtons Legal’s agricultural solicitors provide specialist, experience-based advice for farmers, landowners and rural businesses, covering succession planning, land and property transactions, renewable energy and diversification projects, development opportunities, agricultural tenancies and the long-term protection of family farms and estates.
Practical legal advice for farming families, landowners and rural businesses across East Anglia and beyond.
Speak to our Agriculture & Estates team on 0330 404 0749, or complete our online enquiry form to make an enquiry about your farm, estate or rural business.
Why choose Ashtons Legal for agricultural law
When it comes to protecting a family farm, planning a succession or negotiating a renewable energy project, you want lawyers who understand rural life as well as rural law. Here is why farmers, landowners and rural businesses across East Anglia choose our agricultural solicitors:
- Lawyers with direct farming and rural backgrounds, including a practice head who is a partner in her own family farming business
- Over 30 years advising East Anglian farmers and landowners
- Recognised by the Legal 500 and Chambers UK for agriculture and estates work
- Full-service support across succession, tax, property, development, disputes and rural business structures
- A strong East Anglian presence and genuine knowledge of the local farming economy
- Long-standing relationships with farming families across generations
- One point of contact, supported where needed by colleagues in private client, commercial property, corporate, planning, employment and dispute resolution
Accreditations, rankings and recognition
Our agricultural law solicitors are recognised for their sector knowledge as well as their legal expertise. Team members belong to the Agricultural Law Association, the Country Land and Business Association, the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association, the NFU and the Cambridgeshire branch of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. Simon Cunningham is a Fellow of the Agricultural Law Association.
Ashtons Legal is ranked in the Legal 500 and Chambers UK for agriculture and estates work, and our Agriculture & Estates team has been ranked number one on ReviewSolicitors across Cambridge, Norwich, Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds. That combination of directory recognition and client feedback reflects both the technical depth of our advice and the way we work with farming families day to day.
Meet our Agriculture & Estates specialists
Jeanette Dennis, Head of Agriculture & Estates
With over 30 years acting for East Anglian farmers and landowners, Jeanette leads our succession team. She comes from a Norfolk farming family and is a partner in the family farming business, so her understanding of the pressures facing farming families is first hand rather than textbook. Her work spans succession planning, farm partnerships, tenancies, rights of way and land development. Jeanette is a member of the Agricultural Law Association. Read Jeanette’s profile.
Simon Cunningham, Partner
Based in our Norwich office, Simon has a long track record advising farmers, landowners and agricultural businesses on property matters. He leads our rural energy and natural capital group, is active in the sector regionally and nationally, and is a Fellow of the Agricultural Law Association. Read Simon’s profile.
Jeanette and Simon are supported by a wider team of agriculture and estates solicitors. Meet the rest of our team.
How our agricultural solicitors can help
Our agricultural law solicitors advise on every stage of farming and rural business life, from passing a farm to the next generation to negotiating a renewable energy scheme. Jump straight to the area you need:
- Farm succession, Wills and inheritance planning
- Agricultural property transactions
- Farming partnerships and business structures
- Agricultural tax planning (APR and BPR)
- Renewable energy and diversification projects
- Agricultural tenancies and occupation arrangements
- Development and strategic land
- Agricultural disputes and regulatory issues
Farm succession, Wills and inheritance planning
Passing a farm or estate to the next generation is rarely straightforward. Our farm succession planning solicitors help farming families plan for succession, structure ownership and manage the inheritance tax consequences of transferring farms and estates.
We work closely with accountants and land agents so that legal, tax and practical considerations are addressed together. Find out more about Wills and inheritance planning or inheritance tax planning.
Agricultural property transactions
Whether you are buying, selling, transferring or restructuring farmland, estates, buildings or other rural property, our agricultural land solicitors handle the transaction from initial negotiation through to completion, acting for family farms, tenanted estates and rural businesses across East Anglia and beyond. Find out more about commercial property transactions.
Farming partnerships and business structures
A clear partnership agreement can prevent many of the disputes that damage farming families. Our rural solicitors advise on partnership agreements, business reorganisations and governance for farming partnerships, helping the structure keep pace as a business or family changes. Find out more about corporate and commercial support.
Agricultural tax planning (APR and BPR)
Inheritance tax, Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief are complex, and the rules are changing. We work alongside clients’ accountants to plan tax-efficient ownership structures and advise on how APR and BPR apply to farms and estates. Find out more about agricultural tax planning.
Renewable energy and diversification projects
Farms are increasingly diversifying into solar, battery storage, anaerobic digestion and other schemes, alongside Environmental Land Management and stewardship agreements. Our team advises on infrastructure agreements and the commercial use of rural land. We also advise specifically on rural energy and natural capital projects, supporting landowners through the full life of a scheme. Find out more about rural energy.
Agricultural tenancies and occupation arrangements
From Farm Business Tenancies to Agricultural Holdings Act tenancies, grazing licences and other occupation arrangements, our agricultural tenancies solicitors advise both landlords and tenants on their rights and obligations.
Development and strategic land
Promotion agreements, option agreements and overage arrangements can unlock significant value from land with development potential. We also advise on compulsory purchase and compensation, helping landowners understand their position and negotiate a fair outcome. Find out more about planning.
Agricultural disputes and regulatory issues
Partnership disputes, land disputes and rights of way disagreements can threaten a farming business as much as its finances. Our rural affairs solicitors resolve disputes through negotiation or litigation where necessary. We also advise on agricultural investigations and prosecutions. Find out more about agricultural investigations and prosecutions.
Inheritance tax and succession
Concerned about the impact of inheritance tax changes on your farm or estate? Speak to our agricultural succession planning team about protecting your family business and planning for the future. Find out more about inheritance tax planning or agricultural tax planning.
Who we work with
We act for family farms, tenanted estates, landed estates, farming partnerships, agri-businesses, food producers, rural landlords and land agents across the eastern region and beyond. Many of our clients are multi-generational farming families, and we are often instructed by the same family across several generations as ownership, tenancies and business structures evolve.
Case studies and example matters
- Assisting a 1,500-acre family farm with succession and inheritance tax planning
- Negotiating a solar farm option agreement for a landowning family
- Structuring a farming partnership reorganisation to support succession planning
- Managing a multi-million-pound farmland sale
- Advising on overage and promotion agreements for strategic development land
- Resolving a dispute between family members in a farming partnership
All matters are anonymised to protect client confidentiality.
Contact our agricultural solicitors
Whether you need advice on succession planning, land transactions, farming partnerships or development opportunities, our agricultural solicitors are here to help. Call us on 0330 404 0749, email enquiries@ashtonslegal.co.uk, or complete our online enquiry form.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an agricultural solicitor do?
An agricultural solicitor advises farmers, landowners and rural businesses on the legal issues specific to farming and rural life, from succession planning and tenancies to property transactions, tax and disputes.
Do I need a specialist agricultural solicitor rather than a general property lawyer?
Farming and rural property raise issues that general property lawyers rarely encounter day to day, such as Agricultural Holdings Act tenancies, APR and BPR, and farm partnership structures. A specialist agricultural solicitor understands these issues and the wider farming context.
How does Agricultural Property Relief work, and how can farming families plan for inheritance tax?
Agricultural Property Relief can reduce the inheritance tax payable on qualifying farmland and buildings. The rules are detailed and subject to change, so early advice from our agricultural tax planning team, working alongside your accountant, is important. HMRC guidance on Agricultural Property Relief sets out the detailed rules. Find out more about agricultural tax planning.
What is the difference between an Agricultural Holdings Act tenancy and a Farm Business Tenancy?
Agricultural Holdings Act tenancies are older, long-term tenancies with strong statutory protection, while Farm Business Tenancies are more flexible arrangements created under later legislation. The rights and obligations of landlord and tenant differ significantly between the two.
Should I have a partnership agreement for my farm, and what should it include?
Yes. A written partnership agreement should set out ownership, profit shares, decision-making and what happens if a partner leaves, retires or dies, reducing the risk of costly disputes later.
Can Ashtons help with diversification and renewable energy projects such as solar, glamping or holiday lets?
Yes. Our rural energy and diversification team advises on solar, battery storage, anaerobic digestion and other diversification projects, including the agreements needed to bring them to life. Find out more about rural energy.
What should I consider before selling agricultural land?
Think about the tax position, any development potential, overage or promotion agreements, and how a sale fits with succession plans for the wider farm or estate. Advice before you market the land gives you the most options.
How much does it cost to instruct an agricultural solicitor?
Costs depend on the nature and complexity of the matter. We are happy to discuss likely costs at the outset of any instruction, so contact our team for a clear estimate.
Where does Ashtons Legal advise agricultural clients?
We advise farmers, landowners and rural businesses across Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex, with national reach through the wider Ashtons team.
Latest agriculture and estates insights
Read our latest thinking on inheritance tax changes, farm restructuring, land sales, renewable energy, rights of way, partnership disputes, tenancies and regulatory compliance. View all agriculture and estates insights.
How we work
We work closely with the professionals already around a farming family or rural business, including land agents and accountants, so that legal advice fits with the wider financial and practical picture. Every client has a single point of contact, backed by clear project management and, where a matter needs it, straightforward access to colleagues across private client, commercial property, corporate and dispute resolution.
Where we work
Our agricultural solicitors act for farmers, landowners and rural businesses across Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex, with national reach through the wider Ashtons team. We have agriculture solicitors in Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich, and provide rural solicitors coverage across Suffolk and the wider region, together with agriculture and estates solicitors support for clients in Colchester and Chelmsford.