Rural and Estates

Our Rural and Estates team brings together experts from across our firm covering areas such as agricultural landlord and tenant issues, crofting law, renewable energy, telecoms, forestry, minerals, rural disputes, employment matters along with feudal dignities. The team includes lawyers accredited as specialists in their areas of law.

Expertise from modern renewables to heraldic law

Our services are wide-ranging and include guidance on:

• landlord and tenant issues arising from the Agricultural Holdings legislation, Land Court applications and Single Farm Payment entitlements including all aspects of agricultural law
• crofting law
• renewable energy, including dealing with lease documentation, funding and company formations for wind farms, hydro-electric schemes, biomass plants
• servitudes for access and services, private water and drainage systems, public access code issues
• sporting rights, shooting and fishing rights, including salmon fishings and related property issues
• minerals, including options for leases for sand and gravel, coal and peat extraction
• buying, selling and leasing all types of rural property 
• telecommunications and radio masts
• community rights to buy including advising landowners and community companies
• commercial and residential developments on greenfield sites
• all contract and commercial matters affecting rural businesses
• employment matters including guidance on day-to-day employment law and HR strategy issues including disciplinary and grievance matters; equal opportunities and discrimination.

Rural disputes

Resolving disputes involving land and rural property required very specific legal expertise. You need lawyers who have knowledge and experience of farming, agriculture, estates or crofting law as well as specialists in dispute resolution. Our team can help with

• tenancy disputes in crofting and agricultural holdings, for example disputes over the existence, terms or continuation of a lease
• disputes relating to the structure of farming and rural businesses, whether they’re family partnerships or companies
• succession disputes, including disputed wills or succession to leases
• regulatory appeals, for example compliance with the requirements for rural support payments
• problems with land, such as appeals of planning decisions or advice on compulsory purchase orders. 

Feudal Dignities

We are also acknowledged experts in feudal dignities, including the sale, purchase and registration of baronies, lordships and earldoms, legal and historical research, dealing with hearings in the Court of the Lord Lyon. 

Services for a diverse client base

We represent clients who have owned their estates for centuries, providing them with a wide range of legal advice. In addition, we advise farmers, crofters, renewable energy developers, rural charities, hostelling bodies and numerous other companies and private individuals. Clients include the Argyll and Lochiel Estates, Edinburgh University, the Scottish Youth Hostels Association, Rosslyn Chapel Trust, and high-profile individuals such as the TV personality Uri Geller.