• Farmers, landowners and rural businesses face many challenges and opportunities as a result of the swift pace of change in the agricultural sector, and the impact of Brexit and COVID-19.

    To help your business rise to these challenges, it is essential to have the support of a legal team that understands your needs and works with you to find the right solutions.

    Why choose our Agriculture and Rural team?

    Our specialist agricultural lawyers have a detailed understanding of agricultural law and the priorities relevant to traditional country landowners and farmers.

    With the diversification of the agricultural sector in recent years we also have the knowledge and understanding to support clients who run rural enterprises such as vineyards, rural tourism initiatives, and leisure and hospitality ventures. This includes legal guidance around commercial contracts, intellectual property, licensing, data protection and succession planning.

    Our team is drawn from across the firm, with expertise in a wide range of areas of the law that can affect agricultural clients. Download our Agriculture Handbook to find out more about our team of specialist lawyers. We work in partnership with you, as well as other professionals such as surveyors, land agents and accountants, to address your immediate priorities and secure your future.

    We have been advising farmers and landowners for more than 125 years and act for a number of landed estates throughout the South East. Many of our agricultural and farming clients have been with us through multiple generations.

    We also have a long history of providing legal support to educational and research institutions in the agricultural and rural sector. These include Plumpton College and East Malling Research.

    Our solicitors are members of the Agricultural Law Association (ALA), the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), Canterbury Farmers Club and the British Independent Fruit Growers Association. We have also been associated with the National Farmers Union (NFU) in Kent for more than 70 years.

    We support the sector by writing a monthly column for South East Farmer, and by attending and sponsoring major agricultural events. These include the Weald of Kent and East Kent Ploughing Matches, Kent County Show and regional CLA conferences.

    Recognition of our expertise

    Brachers’ Agriculture and Rural team is highly ranked by leading legal directory The Legal 500 2024. Brachers is also rated as a ‘Leading Firm’.

    Partner Sarah Gaines was named as ‘Leading Individual’ in the 2024 directory, while Christopher Eriksson-Lee and Lee May were rated as ‘Recommended Lawyers’.

    Head of the team Sarah Gaines is ranked in the Chambers and Partners 2024 directory, along with Allis Beasley, and Partner Christopher Eriksson-Lee is ranked in the top tier of the Chambers High Net Worth Guide.

    In 2021, Partner Christopher Eriksson-Lee joined the committee of the Kent branch of the CLA, and Sarah Gaines was appointed to the board of directors of the Kent County Agricultural Society (KCAS). Allis Beasley sits on the Expert and Mediation panels of the Agricultural Law Association.

    Find out more about our awards, accreditations and partnerships.

    How we can help

    Simply expand the sections below for more information on the services and support available to you.

    • Corporate law in rural business

      Commercial law in rural business

      Employment law in rural business

      Family law in the rural community

      Health and safety in rural business

      Planning and environment law in rural business

      Rural property and buildings

      Secured lending

      Solving disputes in rural business

      Succession and rural estate planning

    • How to contact us

      Our agriculture lawyers are based in Maidstone and Canterbury and are ready to help with any legal advice you need.

      You can call us on 01622 690691, email us or use the contact form on this page.

  • Get in touch

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  • Expertise

  • Case Studies

     

  • We work with a number of families with significant landed estates in the South East.

    Work has included succession plans for the families and the estates. Detailed consideration has been given to establishing new family trusts and applications to the court to vary perpetuity periods. Work has also involved advising on a Variation of Trust Act application and the establishment of a family trust corporation.

    We have also supported several families on property matters related to the estates.

    Recently, this has involved:

    • The negotiation of the surrender of an Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 tenancy
    • The transfer of freehold land to compensate the tenant
    • The grant of a new long-term farm business tenancy containing rights for the landlord and the tenant to terminate the tenancy over certain parts of the property during the term of the lease

  • Kent Farmers Benevolent fund was set up in 1967, by local farmers from the National Farmers Union and Philip Bracher, a partner at Brachers. This charitable fund was set up to provide financial assistance to farmers and their families when in need. The settlement is run by Brachers on a pro-bono basis.

    The current trustee board is made up of local farmers from across Kent. The fund works closely with the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution to assist local farming families.

    Past cases include:

    • Providing funds to help fund a heating system for an elderly retired farmer.
    • Providing funds to help a family to pay for the funeral of a famer who died in a tragic tractor accident.
    • Assisting a family in paying for their son’s agricultural college fees.
    • Providing financial assistance to a tenant farmer who fell from a corn silo and sustained life-changing injuries and needed to employ temporary help to run his farm for a period of time.

    Brachers has provided charity advice and support over the years free of charge in recognition of the importance of farming in Kent and our links to the farming community.

    We organise and chair trustee meetings, prepare accounts and deal with the charity return annually.

    We also advise the trustees on good governance and deal with trustee minutes and resolutions. We dealt with the Charity Commission in successfully changing one of the trustee requirements to bring the trust document in line with modern precedents.

  • Our work ranges from preparing or amending partnership agreements to effecting more complex partnership arrangements including transfers of partnership assets, particularly land, into trust and assignments of partnership interests among family members.

    Usually such arrangements are part of succession planning by senior family members on advice from our Private Client team.

    Our work on farming partnerships is extremely collaborative. Agricultural experts in our Corporate and Commercial team work closely with lawyers in our Property and Private Client teams, who deal with issues related to partnership land and ensure that succession planning goals are achieved.

     

Key Contacts - Agriculture and Rural Law:

Meet the Team:

  • They are excellent solicitors who knew their specialisms inside out.

    Chambers and Partners 2023

  • Brachers have a long history in agriculture and estates work and understand the industry extremely well. They have good expertise in IHT planning, property issues and trusts etc, which other firms struggle with. They work well in a multi-disciplinary team, with accountants and land agents.

    The Legal 500 2023

  • They are extremely professional, and always on hand to provide guidance as to the best course of action to take.

    Chambers and Partners 2023

  • The team are always professional and efficient. I never hesitate in referring clients to them and feedback that follows is always complimentary.

    Referrer

  • They have a very friendly and personal style. They are always professional, helpful and available.

    Chambers High Net Worth Guide

  • As a fellow professional they are always incredibly generous with their time in providing assistance and advice, even when it does not concern a mutual client. This regularly extends to outside of the usual hours of business.

    Referrer

  • The team are knowledgeable and responsive and have access to other teams outside of their team to provide comprehensive advice where the job diverse and requires different specialties and knowledge in order to bring jobs to a timely and beneficial conclusion.

    The Legal 500 2023

  • They are probably respected as the best in Kent with a large enough practice to cover all areas, from employment and property, to Inheritance Tax.

    Chambers and Partners 2024