I am a Partner and Head of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Department based at the Firm’s dedicated Commercial and Agricultural office on Gadbrook Park, Northwich.
I specialise in Commercial and Agricultural Property and business transactions. I advise property developers, landed estates, farmers and SMEs on buying and selling property, tenancy matters and business structures. I also advise business owners and investors on share and asset sales.
Although I am from Cheshire, I spent the first five years of my career in the City of London, working on complex and high-value real estate and corporate transactions and commercial disputes. I qualified at a City firm in 2013 before deciding to move back to Cheshire in the following year to join Butcher & Barlow. Prior to undertaking my training, I studied history at the University of Manchester, gaining a first-class honours degree, and then studied the Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in London, subsequently obtaining a first-class law degree.
My work typically includes:
- advising tenant farmers on surrendering protected agricultural tenancies;
- farm acquisitions and sales;
- drafting farm business tenancies;
- advising landed estates in managing their commercial and agricultural property portfolios;
- advising farming enterprises on partnership and shareholders agreements;
- acting for property developers on acquisitions, options and promotion agreements, including on acquisitions which are conditional on planning permission;
- acting for landowners on the grant of options to work minerals or for development;
- commercial landlord and tenant matters, commercial refinance and property acquisition across a variety of property types, from hotels to warehouses to canal wharfs; and.
- advising business owners and investors on corporate matters, including acquisitions and disposals, restructurings and joint ventures
Recent highlights include:
- Acting for a Charitable Trusts on the grant of an option for residential development.
- Acting for a Charitable Trust on the acquisition of a local business park for over £7 million.
- Advising an Estate on multiple commercial and agricultural landlord and tenant matters.
- Acting for a land promoter on the promotion of a site in North Wales for residential development of over 200 houses.
- Acting for on the purchase of a new dairy farm for a local farming family.
- Acting on a Haulage Company share sale for over £2 million.
I pride myself on getting to know my client’s motivations and key concerns. I give practical advice and explain complex legal issues succinctly so that my clients understand the consequences and risks of potential problems.
When not I work, I love to bake and have recently taken up running to compensate for this! I also enjoy playing netball and I am a proud member of a local netball club.
