Our department of specialist agricultural lawyers help farmers and land owners across Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, East Yorkshire and throughout the UK with all aspects of law affecting farm businesses and rural landholdings including;
- Sale, purchases and tenancies;
- Land registrations;
- Contracts;
- Diversification opportunities;
- EU and subsidy matters;
- Way leaves and easements;
- Options;
- Tenancy disputes;
- Arbitrations;
- Planning law;
- General business and partnership matters including tax planning.
- Regulatory issues
- Wind Farms
Head of department, James Lloyd specialises in all aspects of commercial development on farms including option agreements and particularly wind farm projects.
Philip Day is nationally renowned for his work relating to the Single Farm Payment schemecognised expert in agricultural law. He has extensive knowledge of UK and EU farming legislation and its application and is a member of the Committee of th and dealing with arbitrations.
Flora Bennett is recognised for her pragmatism when acting for major agricultural clients in a wide range of matters including farm acquisitions and sales, complex title issues, tenancies, partnership agreements and trusts.
Rupert Houltby specialises in land acquisitions and sales, remortgaging and wind farm projects.
Catherine Harris has been recognised for her efficient and pragmatic approach, particularly to sales and purchases and land registrations.
Judy Lankester has considerable experience in property matters and is able to apply a commercially sensible approach to your issues.
Emily O’Neill has an excellent grasp on technical issues and is able to provide clear advice on complex issues.
In addition to our team who deal exclusively with agricultural law issues, we have experts who regualrly provide support and advice to farmers and landowners on other issues, providing you with a complete legal service. Not only do we advise you about the law but we are able to draw on our considerable experience to provide you with practical and cost-effective solutions to your particlar situation.
Helen Molloy - Employment Law
Advice in relation to the whole spectrum of employment and contractual matters including unfair dismissal, disciplinaries and grievances, contracts of employment, equal pay, redundancy, transfer of undertakings, discrimination, business re-organisation, restrictive covenants and compromise agreements.
Brenda Gilligan - Equine Issues
Advice on equine issues for private individuals on making and taking claims relating to personal injury involving horses and riders, insurance requirements, buying and selling horses, the loaning of horses both in and out, veterinary negligence and equine health and safety issues.
Lisa Boileau - Family Law
Advice on the full range of family matters including divorce, separation, domestic violence, ancillary relief and all children matters including residence and contact disputes, acre proceedings and adoption matters. The team deal with complex cases involving substantial farming assets.
Peter Krick - Litigation Matters/Regulatory Issues
Advice on all general disputes including contractual disputes, damaage to land, crops and machinery, boundary, right of way and tenancy disputes. The team deal with referrals under the NFU Legal Assistance Scheme for Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
Lisa-Jane Howes - Wills, Tax & Trusts/ Administration of Estates/ Probate
Advice on wills, probate, estate/inheritance tax planning, trusts, general management on behalf of elderly clients, Lasting Powers of Attorney and public Guardianship Office issues. We deal with a number of agricultural probates annually with estate values of several million, involving agricultural land, claims for Agricultural Property Relief particularly on farmhouses, and Business Property Relief on farming partnership interests and farming companies.
NFU Legal Panel Members
Wilkin Chapman LLP has been hand picked by the NFU to be a Legal Panel Member for Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire providing specialist agricultural advice to farmers and landowners.
We were chosen based on our reputation and experience not only in agricultural matters but in non farming areas such as diversification, tax planning, probate, family, conveyancing and more.
Recommendations
"Wilkin Chapman Epton Blades is recommended 'for a cost-efficient appraisal of the more difficult agricultural law matters', and provides 'a better service than many firms in the locality'. Senior partner, Philip Day is trusted for his Single Farm Payment and CAP knowledge, and 'recommended' practice head James Lloyd deals with complex succession and tax planning issues, commercial property developments including windfarms and joint ventures for farmers with development portfolios" - Legal 500 2010
"Wilkin Chapman Epton Blades' dedicated agricultural team includes Philip Day, renowned for his CAP expertise. It is now led by James Lloyd, who advises over 400 agricultural and land-owning clients on sales and purchases, property matters, tenancy disputes, planning law, quotas and wind farm development" - Legal 500 2009
"The Lincolnshire-based team is agriculturally minded and has a good working knowledge of the issues facing clients"
"Partner Philip Day is on his way to becoming a guru on agricultural holdings and tenancies and clients are also impressed with Catherine Harris" - Chambers UK
