Landed Estates

It’s no secret that managing a landed estate can be complex and requires a diverse range of experts in order to keep the business running smoothly.  From managing property portfolios, to solving employment issues and handling trusts, we are regularly involved with the legal intricacies that are common when dealing with landed estates.  We fully appreciate how important it is to keep a close focus on the often generational significance of the property and assets.

No two landed estates are alike. Being aware of this, we can offer you different levels of legal advice which are bespoke to your needs.

Our approach

A large part of our work involves helping estate owners and managers maximise opportunities whilst preserving the all-important fabric of the estate. We give commercial advice based on experience and understanding, always keeping a keen eye on the family aspect of any transactions.

Working closely with you, we aim to identify key objectives and aspirations within the rural estate and devise a structured plan to achieve them. As a firm we are able to call upon our many in-house specialists whose expertise in a wide variety of fields can accommodate all manner of potential situations and who work in collaborative format to achieve the best results.

Client contact

We leave the regularity of contact to you. For the larger landed estates and trusts, with the exception of day to day transactional needs, we are commonly involved in full review meetings once or twice a year, often to tie in with their AGM.

Alternatively, some clients will contact us only when they need answers to specialist questions, whilst others might be in touch on a daily basis.  Below is an overview of the levels of advice we can offer.

Comprehensive …

A full level of care under which we will handle the legal aspects of your affairs in their entirety, no matter how complicated, mundane or unexpected. This, of course, includes both personal and commercial matters relating to the business side of the estate, ensuring tax and succession planning are taken into account throughout.

Complementary …

We accept that many landed estates have long-established relationships with, traditionally, London law firms. Whilst we respect those relationships, we do have a number of clients who are happy for us to work alongside those firms, delivering aspects of their legal requirements, such as property or specialist agricultural transactions, in a more cost-effective manner.

Specialist …

Although you may already have a ‘go-to’ law firm, there will be times when you are likely to need more specific or specialist advice.  You may, for example, want to review your farming arrangements or, if you have chosen to diversify, you may need specialist help with, say, a renewable energy scheme you might be interested in. 

We can help with

• Complex trust law
• Property portfolio management
• Land and property disputes
• Deeds of covenant
• Individual services such as residential conveyancing, injuries and police incidents
• Specialist tax, trust and succession planning for families and estates
• Advising trustees
• Trust disputes
• HMRC compliance
• Farming partnerships
• Pre-nuptial agreements and farming divorces
• Prosecutions by Trading Standards, the HSE, the Environment Agency and the FSA
• Specialist grazing, cropping and seasonal arrangements
• Livery agreements
• Joint ventures, mergers, de-mergers and business structures
• Refinancing
• Land sales and purchases
• Mines, minerals and quarrying
• Chancel repair liability
• Listed building regulations
• Land pooling arrangements
• Contract farming and share farming
• Incorporations and partitions
• Sustainable energy projects
• Planning, diversification and development
• Shooting and sporting rights
• Advice regarding rural crime
• Rights of way and boundary disputes
• Common land
• Manorial rights
• Equine law
• Poultry agreements
• Debt Recovery

Agriculture

We see agriculture as the heart of our business and facilitate agricultural advice to farmers and agribusinesses all over the UK. Many of our trusted advisors are accredited as fellows of the ALA for their specialist knowledge.

Our agricultural team handles a varied caseload covering commercial property mandates, sustainable energy projects, joint ventures, common agricultural policy work, dispute resolution, land transactions and succession and tax planning for farm businesses. We are confident that our agriculture lawyers can handle any matter thrown at them no matter how complex.  To find out how we can advise you, contact Julie Robinson, a partner in the Agriculture team.

Dealing with divorce

Divorce is a stressful experience no matter what the circumstances, but when one of the parties is entangled in elaborate business arrangements connected to an estate, specialist advice is a must. Our priority is to ensure your business (and your family) withstands the impact of a complex separation by any means possible, and will always have your best interests at heart.  

Our specialist family lawyers have over 60 years’ combined experience and are described as having ‘an excellent service level’ by The Legal 500 but what really distinguishes us from our competitors is our track record in advising on high-value cases involving farming families. If you’re looking to discuss family matters, get in touch with Nick Ingrey.

Planning and development

Our specialist Planning team helps land and property owners achieve their strategic goals, whether it be obtaining planning permission for a new development or assessing the impact of major infrastructure schemes on their land and interests.   

The Planning team’s in-depth understanding of planning law and meticulous knowledge of the complicated documentation required to make a transaction watertight, make our services invaluable to our clients’ planning needs.  Assessing and acquiring sensitive sites is within our area of expertise, being ever-mindful of any environmental issues which could arise.

Currently our caseload includes infrastructure agreements, appeals and statutory challenges, strategic advice, enforcement cases, certificates of lawful use, advice on compensation relating to HS2, advice relating to highways, including stopping-up and diversion orders and other associated matters.  Call our head of planning, Shruti Trivedi who will be happy to advise on your planning matters.

Individual services

Our array of legal services for individuals means we can not only prepare your succession but also advise for life’s unexpected events such as incapacity or accidents caused by negligence.  

Tax planning for landed estates

Our Private Client team specialises in complex and high-value estate administration involving agricultural and business assets; the preparation of complex wills; capital tax planning; Stamp Duty Land Tax advice; business succession; managing incapacity, operating in both the agriculture and elderly client sectors.

The process followed will include extensive fact-finds and the global understanding of each client’s asset base, together with the family background and dynamic.  Combining all the information gathered, the team is able to advise on the wider implication of steps to be taken.

Lasting Power of Attorney

We are committed to ensuring our clients are covered for all eventualities.  Our Private Client team has developed a range of services empowering you to plan for the management of your financial affairs and personal welfare in the event that you find yourself in some way incapacitated.

There are two different types of Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA): one for property and financial affairs and a separate one for health and welfare. Our recognised experts will advise on the most appropriate one for your specific circumstances, and take you through the process of registering it/them with the Office of the Public Guardian.

Court of Protection

The Court of Protection (COP) oversees the financial and welfare decisions and management undertaken on behalf of vulnerable individuals who do not have the capacity to make these decisions for themselves.

We are very fortunate to have Court of Protection (COP) panel deputy, Elizabeth Young, leading the Private Client team and have recently expanded our COP offering with the addition of COP team leader, Gemma Hopper, who has previously worked for the Office of the Public Guardian.

Roythornes Trustees Limited

The launch of Roythornes’ trust corporation, Roythornes Trustees Limited, offers an alternative to the appointment of lay and individual professional trustees.  It provides continuity, accessibility and professionalism to those requiring trustee/executor/attorney/deputy and nominee services.

• It provides continuity by reducing the number of times trustees have to be changed, helping to reduce costs
• It gives greater availability since the corporate trustee does not take holiday or have any other distractions
• It offers a higher standard of trusteeship as a result of the increased duty of care compared with a personal appointment

Carolyn Byrne is the head of Roythornes Trustees and primarily concentrates on: the taxation of trusts, personal tax, capital gains tax (CGT), inheritance tax (IHT) and tax investigations by H M Revenue & Customs (HMRC).  She deals with trust compliance, such as the preparation of annual accounts, tax returns, periodic IHT returns and registering trusts with HMRC.  

Personal injury & medical negligence

Debilitating accidents can happen to anyone at anytime.  Should you find yourself in a situation like this through no fault of your own, our personal injury specialists can provide strategic and sensitive advice (and usually work on a ‘no-win no-fee’ basis) to ensure you are not left out of pocket.

Described as the ‘thriving personal injury and clinical negligence department’ by The Legal 500, the team has won millions of pounds’ worth of compensation over the years, arising from a diverse array of situations such as accidents abroad, clients suffering brain injuries after road traffic accidents and clinical negligence cases.

If you need advice regarding a potential personal injury claim which might result in compensation, contact Rob Dempsey.