Jodie Coles

Jodie specialises in civil and agricultural property litigation as well as contentious Wills, trusts and probate.

She is a Senior Associate in our Commercial and Private Client Litigation team based in our Taunton office having joined Clarke Willmott in 2014 and successfully trained with us to qualify in 2017. She was highly commended by the Law Society for her achievements during her training contract. Jodie advises private clients, agricultural clients and businesses on a wide range of contentious matters and is an active member of the Agricultural Law Association and Property Litigation Association.

How Jodie can help you

Jodie advises clients in the commercial and the agricultural sectors on contentious property matters relating to:

• Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 tenancies and Farm Business Tenancies (including notices to quit, succession and breach of covenant);
• Land drainage and flooding;
• Boundaries;
• Adverse possession;
• Trespass;
• Nuisance;
• Easements – including rights of way;
• Farming partnerships;
• Proprietary estoppel; and
• Co-owner property disputes including declarations as to ownership and/or claims for occupation rent.

Agricultural property litigation

Jodie advises clients operating in the commercial and agricultural sectors on contentious property matters relating to:

• Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 tenancies and Farm Business Tenancies (including notices to quit, succession and breaches of covenant);
• Land drainage and flooding;
• Boundaries;
• Adverse possession;
• Trespass;
• Nuisance;
• Easements – including rights of way;
• Farming partnerships;
• Proprietary estoppel; and
• Co-owner property disputes including declarations as to ownership and/or claims for occupation rent.

Contentious trusts Wills and probate

Jodie also defends and brings claims:

• Under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975;
• Contesting the validity of Wills (due to lack of testamentary capacity and/or want of knowledge and approval);
• Against executors and trustees for breach of trust/maladministration; and
• Against solicitors in relation to Will drafting and the construction of Wills or mistakes in Wills.

Commercial / private client litigation

Jodie also advises businesses and individuals in all sectors, including the agriculture sector, on issues such as:

• • Contractual disputes;
  • Judicial review; and
  • Professional negligence

Experience

• Acting for a farming partnership to successfully defend an application for an injunction in a respect of a right of way claimed against their land (unreported).
• Acting for claimants in obtaining prohibitive injunctions restraining trespass of persons known and unknown – e.g. representing successful applicant in obtaining injunctions against hunt saboteurs – Fitzwilliam Land Co v Cheesman [2018] EWHC 3139 (QB).
• Advising in relation to water and flooding related matters – e.g. acting for Claimants in ECHR Protocol 1 Article 1 Claim against the Environment Agency King & Ors v Environment Agency [2018] EWHC 65 (QB)