Rural and Agriculture

Our Private Client Agriculture and Rural Law team provides trusted, specialist advice to farming families, landowners, and rural estates, helping them protect wealth, plan for succession, and secure their legacy for future generations. 

We advise on wills, succession planning, inheritance tax mitigation, trusts, estate administration, and lifetime wealth structuring, always mindful of the practical realities of running farms and rural businesses. Our approach is clear, pragmatic, and tailored to the unique challenges faced by rural families, including inter‑generational ownership, diversification, and the preservation of land and assets. 

The Private Wealth team specialising in Agricultural and Rural matters is led by Nicole Miller, working with Kate Hooper, Harriet Page and Piers Galton-Beque.

Together we bring expertise in private wealth and rural matters, combined with a collaborative and personal approach. We work closely with clients’ accountants, land agents, and other professional advisers to deliver joined‑up, long‑term solutions that balance family objectives with commercial and tax considerations.  

Whether planning for the future, navigating change, or dealing with sensitive family matters, our specialists are committed to providing practical, compassionate advice that protects rural wealth and ensures continuity for generations to come. 

Our Private Wealth and Inheritance services include:  

• Advising you on your Will, to give you control over what happens to your assets when you pass away; 

• Exploring the use of a Lifetime Trust to enable you to distribute some of your assets during your lifetime and to consider any specific conditions that may apply to the future use of these assets; 

• Arranging Lasting Powers of Attorney for you, to ensure that your finances, healthcare and business affairs are looked after, should you ever be unable to make these decisions in the future; 

• Acting for Executors to assist with Estate Administration, including obtaining a Grant of Probate and dealing with vital Inheritance Tax reliefs, such as Agricultural Relief; and  

• Acting for Trustees to assist with ongoing Trust Administration. 

Our Agricultural Corporate team understands that farming and rural businesses are unlike any other sector. We combine corporate legal expertise with a detailed understanding of land-based enterprises, family ownership structures, and the challenges facing modern agriculture. 

Led by Lucinda Cameron, our team advises farmers, landowners, agri‑businesses and rural entrepreneurs on a wide range of corporate matters. From business structuring and partnership arrangements to mergers, acquisitions and ownership transition, we provide commercially focused advice tailored to the agricultural sector. 

We regularly work alongside land agents, accountants, tax advisers and other professionals to deliver holistic solutions that protect both the business and the family behind it. Whether you are diversifying, bringing in the next generation, or planning for a sale, we offer clear, pragmatic guidance. 

Our approach is practical, accessible and grounded in an understanding of the long-term nature of rural businesses. 

Ownership & Governance Arrangements – Drafting and advising on partnership agreements, joint ventures, LLP agreements and shareholder agreements to clearly regulate ownership, management and profit-sharing, and to provide long-term stability. 

Business Structuring & Reorganisation – Supporting clients with the incorporation, restructuring and reorganisation of agricultural businesses, including transitions between partnerships and companies and the alignment of business structures with operational needs. 

Mergers & Acquisitions – Advising on the sale and purchase of farming and rural businesses, including share and asset transactions, due diligence, transaction structuring, and negotiation of key documents to ensure a smooth and commercially effective outcome. 

Business Transition & Continuity – Assisting with changes in ownership and participation, including the introduction of new stakeholders, retirement of existing owners, and ensuring the ongoing stability of the business. 

Corporate Governance & Compliance – Advising on governance frameworks and ongoing compliance requirements to ensure businesses are managed effectively and in accordance with legal obligations. 

Exit Planning & Disposals – Supporting clients in preparing for and executing business sales, including pre-sale structuring, risk management and negotiation to protect liability and achieve an efficient exit.