Shepherd and Wedderburn

Rural Business and Renewables

Hamish Lean has been accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in agricultural law since 2000 and deals with an exclusively agricultural and rural client base.  He has a particular interest in agricultural tenancy law but advises frequently in respect of the purchase and sale of agricultural land, the formation, structure and winding up of agricultural businesses, onshore renewable energy projects and agricultural subsidy matters.  He is regularly invited to speak publically in relation to agricultural law matters and appears frequently in the Scottish Land Court representing agricultural landlords and tenants in relation to tenancy disputes. His recent cases in the Scottish Land Court in 2017 include acting on behalf of the landlord in respect of the case of J&S Wight Ltd v the McGowan Family where the applicants sought to establish a fully secure agricultural tenancy over the farm of Duntilland.  The landlords were successful in establishing that no secure agricultural tenancy existed.  He acted on behalf of the tenant in the case of Lewis v Hunter which involved an attempt by the landlord to irritate an agricultural lease on the grounds of alleged breaches of the lease. The tenant was successful in her defence to the action.  He acted on behalf of the appellant in the case of Morrison v Scottish Ministers when the Land Court upheld an agricultural subsidy appeal against the Scottish Ministers.  All of these cases were reported in 2017.

Trained with Clark Oliver, Arbroath and Forfar, partner Thorntons WS Forfar 1988, partner Maclean & Lowson Solicitors, Forfar 1992, partner Blackadders Solicitors, Forfar and Dundee 2004, partner Stronachs 2009, partner Shepherd and Wedderburn 2017.

Trustee of RSABI, Scotland’s leading agricultural charity, member of the Agricultural Law Association, member of the Scottish Association of Agricultural Arbiters and Valuers, Committee Member of Law Society of Scotland Rural Affairs Committee, Committee Member of the National Farmers Union of Scotland Legal and Technical Committee.

Edinburgh University Diploma in Legal Practice 1984

Drumming in a blues band, cinema, literature, hillwalking