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Landed estates

Comprehensive strategic advice to landed estates and landowners

For many years, Clarke Willmott’s Private Client team has enjoyed an excellent reputation for providing high-quality strategic advice and legal services in relation to landed estates. Today, we are one of only a handful of UK law firms who truly understand the unique challenges of owning, running and passing down these multi-faceted entities. And even in this select company, our experience and know-how sets us apart.

Our specialist agriculture solicitors have considerable expertise in advising landowners, farmers and rural business owners with significant holdings. In particular, asset protection arrangements, wealth succession strategies, business structuring and succession planning. What’s more, they can call on the diverse strengths of our wider private client team (the largest in the country) and our colleagues in corporate and commercial law.

This combination of specific sector knowledge and wider expertise means we’re adept at delivering innovative, pragmatic solutions that are centred on the personal, legal and commercial needs of each client.

Our extensive expertise in landed estates

Our extensive experience enables us to advise on the most complex situations involving agricultural, business and international assets.

We have chartered tax advisers, members of the Agricultural Law Association and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) all under our roof and we are the largest law firm to be accredited with the Law Society’s Wills and Inheritance Quality Scheme (WIQS).

Despite our scale, we pride ourselves on delivering a highly personal service to every client, and at a very reasonable cost compared to a city-based law firm.

Together, our team advises our clients on the issues which are key to ensuring the effective long-term stewardship of their landed estates. Those issues may include:

We also advise landed estates on the following related issues:

Our landed estates experience in action

  • Advising a high net worth family on the restructure of their diversified family farm to secure inheritance tax reliefs.
  • Advising on the generation of income from sporting rights on a large Somerset estate and drafting fishing, shooting and hunting licences to third parties.
  • Advising a landed estate on its heritage property and the associated tax exemption scheme.
  • Providing health and safety and employment advice to the trustees of a £60 million estate, as well as advising on and implementing an overarching inheritance tax planning programme.
  • Acting for a landed estate company in respect of injunctive proceedings against saboteurs trespassing on their 20,000-acre estate.
  • Advising on the restructuring and management of a 6,000-acre estate for a large institutional landowner.
  • Advising on the most tax efficient transfer of a family farm and a successfully diversified cider production business to the next generation.
  • Representing a landed estate in arbitration proceedings relating to alleged crop damage.
  • Acting on behalf of over 450 trusts with over £30 million under management.

Contact a landed estate specialist today

Call 0800 652 8205 for a free consultation with a member of the team or get in touch online. We have private wealth and agriculture solicitors working across the country, from our offices in Taunton, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Manchester and Southampton.

Your key contacts

Tom Chiffers

Partner

Taunton
Tom is a Partner in Clarke Willmott’s Taunton Private Capital team, specialising in inheritance tax and succession planning for private individuals, farmers and other business owners.
View profile for Tom Chiffers >

Industry recognition

Industry recognition for our team

“The team at Clarke Willmott LLP, whose ‘breadth of knowledge is second to none’, is very experienced in advising on general succession issues and inheritance tax and asset protection planning for business owners, entrepreneurs and high-net-worth families.” The Legal 500 2020

“Clarke Willmott is an “excellent firm” in the South West, where it has offices in Taunton and Bristol. The private client team regularly advises wealthy individuals and works closely with farming clients, businesses and landowners.” Chambers UK 2019

“Strong breadth and depth of experience. Certainly towards the top of the mid-size regional firms in the area. Very strong expertise in key regional areas, such as agriculture.” The Legal 500 2020

“Clarke Willmott LLP is ‘excellent in dealing with all aspects of agricultural and estate matters’ and has a sizeable client list that includes the National Farmers Union (a panel appointment for Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire), Lloyds Banking Group (including AMC) and HSBC.” The Legal 500 2019

“They’re focused and sharp, technically sound and committed to serving the local community.” Chambers 2017

Industry recognition for our people

David Maddock: Ranked Band 1 in Chambers HNW Guide 2020 and described as “[a] lovely chap… really good at client care and relationships.”

Stuart Thorne: Ranked Band 2 in Chambers HNW Guide 2020 and described as “probably the pre-eminent practitioner in Somerset” and “very capable, practical, and a hard worker who has been around for years.”

Tom Chiffers: Ranked as an Up and Coming lawyer in Chambers HNW Guide 2020 and described as “very good on high net worth matters”.

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