Commercial PropertyAgricultural Property and Land

Associate Director

Michael is a solicitor and qualified barrister specialising in agricultural and commercial property law.  As a barrister, Michael worked at the Lincoln’s Inn office of the Land Registry where he specialised in contentious cases. Michael then worked at the Law Commission, dealing with the reforms to the Land Registration Acts.

Michael specialises in agricultural work including farm sales and lettings, rights of way and access issues, sporting rights, usually acting for institutional landlords and sellers such as the National Trust.  His expertise includes the Single Farm Payments Scheme, milk quotas and Agricultural Credits Act charges.  He has also dealt with agricultural insolvency cases including reported cases AMC v Woodward and Barclays Bank plc v Eustice.  Michael is a Fellow of the Agricultural Law Association.  Michael also wrote and edited the Agricultural chapter of Tolley’s Insolvency Law.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Agricultural law Commercial property Landlord and tenant

WORK HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights include advising:

Central Government Departmental and Non-Departmental bodies including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Natural England, Environment Agency, Met Office and the Ministry of Defence on agricultural issues to arise out of their estates.

The National Trust on the acquisition and sale of farms and other heritage property and on the grant of farm business tenancies.

Barclays Bank on the recovery of possession of farms as security for their debt of circa £1.5m. Reported as Barclays Bank v Eustice [1995] 1WLR 1238.

AMC PLC on the sale of farms across England and Wales by private treaty and by auction.

A Government Agency in an arbitration hearing regarding a Case B notice under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986.

English Heritage on the granting and renewing of farm business tenancies.

Natural England in relation to ensuring that 100 Single Payment Entitlements were transferred to them on the termination of their grazing agreements.

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Admitted as a Solicitor: 1991 Called to the Bar: 1977

Previous firms / roles: Land Registry Law Commission Bond Pearce Adjudicator to Land Registry First-tier Tribunal

English

SRA number:  149542