England - South West • Private client
Burges Salmon LLP
Burges Salmon LLP provides specialist advice to their high-profile clients, from agri-businesses to landowners and landed estates. Advising on both national and cross-border matters, the team’s expertise extends to all aspects of food and agricultural law. Practice head Tom Hewitt - who sits on the Country Landowners’ Association national taxation committee - specialises in tax, trust and property advice. Kevin Kennedy, whose regular workload includes tenancy advice and real property disputes, is noted for his ‘technical knowledge and expertise.’ Other notable individuals include Emma Folkes, Ross Simpson, Tim Williams, and Maddie Dunn.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'A stand-out offering of magic circle quality without the equivalent billing. Matthew Walker is fabulous on the law and has excellent judgment.'
- 'I not only value Kevin's technical knowledge and expertise, but also his unflappable approach coupled with confident advice.'
- 'Great team structure and team work ethic - particularly led by Ross Simpson.'
- 'The team at Burges Salmon has not only been instrumental in resolving two very difficult cases for me, but because of their strength and depth of knowledge they are willing and able to offer sound advice to impromptu queries, which has proved key in de-escalating what would otherwise have been a serious issue at senior leader level.'
- 'I have found Kevin Kennedy and his team at Burges Salmon to offer an exceptional service. Without Kevin's sound professional advice and expertise, I believe we would have struggled to deliver a positive outcome on two difficult cases.'
- 'Emma Bean has a tenacious eye for detail, leaving no stone unturned.'
- 'Their speed of work combined with very thorough and efficient working has been a very refreshing experience, and resulted in significant cost savings to myself.'
- 'This practice is unique due to the high level of expertise and the dedication of the team members. As a client, I have complete confidence in any advice given and the knowledge that it will be delivered swiftly. I have yet to find any practice that comes anywhere near the level of service that this team provides. Tom Hewitt is exceptional.'
Key clients
- The Crown Estate
- National Trust
- The Woodland Trust
- Yeo Valley - including family farming business
- The Leckford Estate, owned by John Lewis/Waitrose
- Environment Agency
- Earl of Plymouth Estates
Work highlights
- Advised Earl of Plymouth and other trustees in the high-profile case of Earl of Plymouth v Rees.
- Acting for a major minority shareholder in a group of interconnected family companies.
- Advised a charitable foundation on the acquisition of all eight of its initial diverse and interesting sites around the British Isles covering over 15,000 acres.
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Hall of fameBurges Salmon LLP
Head of Burges Salmon's Food and Farming team. Advises on tax and estate planning for individuals, business structures, including partnership; tenure issues; complex variation of trust actions; complex probates and trust matters. Particular focus on clients who own land. Frequently lectures on capital tax issues and particularly inheritance tax reliefs for farmers and landowners.
Burges Salmon LLP
Partner advising on private client/trust and agricultural disputes. Recent cases include Sofer v Swiss Independent Trustees (breach of trust claim), James v James (proprietary estoppel, will capacity), Owen v Harris (nature of tenancy), McDonald v Rose (proprietary estoppel and family company share allotment), Earl of Plymouth v Rees (agricultural tenancy interpretation and injunction) and Abberley v Abberley (binding nature of a settlement agreement), Other cases involve partnerships, trusts and agricultural property. Joint head of the firm’s Contentious Trusts and Probate Practice.
Next Generation Partners
Burges Salmon LLP
Partner working within the firm's Food and Farming team and specialising in non-contentious agricultural property matters. Acts on a wide variety of transactional matters including sales and purchases and the grant of tenancies, and advises on a wide range of issues arising from the ongoing management of farms and estates. Client base is UK-wide and includes landowners, farmers, national institutions and charities. Recent examples of work: acting on the sale, in parts, of a significant estate comprising let farms, in-hand woodland and cottages. Acting on the sale of a portfolio of rural cottages. Documenting the division of a family farm following the settlement of a complex farming partnership dispute. Working with an institutional landowner on the restructure of agricultural tenancy arrangements. Acting on the acquisition of strategic land subject to complex overage obligations relating to future development.
Burges Salmon LLP
Partner in Real Estate specialising in strategic land and rural property. Undertakes complex strategic land work advising on options, promotion agreements and conditional contracts associated with major projects regularly acting for consortia of landowners. Also works within the firm’s Food and Farming team advising on the purchase and sale of estates, farms, country houses, commercial forestry, island properties, sporting rights and salmon fishings. Expertise extends to advising landowners and investors on natural capital opportunities including rural land acquisition and management for Biodiversity Net Gain, carbon and other environmental outcomes. Clients include traditional land and estate owners, family trusts, farm partnerships and institutional investors. Dual qualified to practise in Scotland and England and Wales.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Tom Hewitt