Harry Russell

Harry is an associate in our Dispute Resolution team, advising on complex agricultural, commercial, and contractual disputes. He advises on a wide range of matters, particularly agricultural tenancies, landlord and tenant disputes, and partnership and other commercial and contractual issues involving agricultural businesses. He has also acted in judicial reviews concerning regulation in the food industry.

His practice regularly involves proceedings in the High Court and private arbitrations, whether pursuing or defending high-value claims, or seeking specific relief such as injunctions or contempt of court applications. 

Recent examples of Harry’s work include:

• Successfully challenging by judicial review the charges levied for Official Controls of food business operators by the Food Standards Agency, acting on behalf of associations for the meat industry (High Court Quashes FSA Charges - BMPA)
• Advising a tenant farmer on the validity of and challenges to multiple Case B Notices to Quit in respect of their Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 tenancy for a solar development with concurrent agricultural use;
• Settling a family farming partnership dispute with assets in the region of £70m following a bitter and protracted litigation both in the High Court and in arbitration;
• Advising in respect of several high value proprietary estoppel claims, including on behalf of a successful claimant following an eight day High Court trial;
• Advising in respect of a successful application by a client tenant to succeed to an Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 tenancy following the death of the previous tenant;
• Acting for the tenant and bringing proceedings in respect of a contested renewal of a business tenancy under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and the resulting dispute on the terms of the renewal tenancy;
• Acting for a tenant in an arbitration concerning the validity of a notice to pay and notice to quit served under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986;
• Seeking enforcement of an accepted Part 36 Offer in the High Court in relation to a proprietary estoppel claim; and
• Acting in the Court of Appeal on behalf of an intervenor in the widely reported “Frankenchicken” case brought by the Humane League UK.

Harry graduated with a degree in History from the University of Leicester in 2016, before working in project management on a major development in the city centre. During this time, he was appointed as the youngest magistrate in the region, and went on to pursue a career in law, obtaining distinctions in both the Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course.

He completed his training contract with Roythornes, qualifying in August 2023 into the Dispute Resolution team. Harry is a member of the Agricultural Law Association and is on the panel of Recommended Professionals for the Tenant Farmers’ Association.