I am a Partner and Head of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Department based at the Firm’s dedicated Commercial and Agricultural office on Gadbrook Park, Northwich.
I specialise in agricultural and commercial property transactions. I advise farmers, property developers, landed estates and SMEs on buying and selling property, re-finances, tenancy matters and on land development.
I spent the first five years of my career in London, working on complex and high-value real estate and corporate transactions and commercial disputes. I qualified at a City firm in 2013 before relocating back to Cheshire in 2014 to join Butcher & Barlow. Prior to undertaking my training, I studied history at the University of Manchester, gaining a first-class honours degree, and then studied the Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in London, obtaining a first-class law degree.
My work typically includes:
- farm acquisitions and sales;
- acting for property developers or landowners on development matters, including, options, promotion agreements and acquisitions which are conditional on planning permission;
- acting for landowners on transactions in anticipation of minerals extraction or for infrastructure projects;
- acting for landed estates in connection with commercial and agricultural property portfolios;
- commercial landlord and tenant matters, commercial refinance and property acquisition across a variety of property types, from hotels to warehouses to canal wharfs;
- drafting farm business tenancies; and
- advising tenant farmers and landlords on issues arising in respect of agricultural tenancies.
Recent highlights include:
- Acting for the owners of a diversified farm on a re-structure and re-finance valued over £5 million.
- Acting for a Charitable Trusts on the grant of an option for residential development of agricultural land.
- Acting for a Charitable Trust on the acquisition of a local business park for over £7 million.
- Advising an Estate on multiple commercial and agricultural landlord and tenant matters.
- Acting for a land promoter on the promotion of a site in North Wales for residential development of over 200 houses.
- Acting for on the purchase of a new dairy farm for a farming family.
I pride myself on getting to know my client’s motivations and key concerns. I give practical advice and explain complex legal issues succinctly so that my clients understand the consequences and risks of potential problems.
