Stutt Associates showcases its agricultural expertise at Royal Cornwall Show by sponsoring the Inter Hunt Relay

Stutt Associates sponsored the Inter Hunt Relay at the Royal Cornwall Show

We’ve been asked why, with surprise, because we don’t market ourselves as ‘agricultural lawyers’

But that’s not because we don’t have significant experience in dealing with agricultural disputes, rather that we don’t want to exclude any client by speaking to only one type of person or dispute

Actually, honest, hardworking farmers and rural landowners are a great fit for us 

Lots of big firms claim expertise from their city centre bases. We’re a bit more in touch with the reality of life in the countryside, with our office with views over the fields of South Cornwall

Farmers want a direct line to the lawyer dealing with their issue, not to have to deal with emailing assistants. And they want someone who talks normally, not in lawyer-speak

They want a single trusted advisor, right here in their region, who can get outdoors and see them on their land. Not a full team of junior lawyers by phone in a city centre 

Farmers and rural landowners have the same sort of human problems as anyone else, and we can obviously deal with those 

But they also have other issues that need particular experience, which many law firms can’t easily handle. We can, and we do

Lee Stutt has made a career of dealing with complicated family arrangements leading to contested inheritances.  He’s one of the South West’s most experienced contentious probate lawyers, and his work often involves disputes about the inheritance of acres of agricultural land, family intentions and promises, and medical conditions that arise from a life of hard work, which might cause concerns about capacity. Decades of evidence of hard work in the fields. Jealousies and sibling rivalries, sometimes spanning generations, often with land held in trust 

His mediation credentials allow him an insight into resolving those disputes with less pain and, importantly, much less cost, than traditional city firms could ever manage

He’s also dealt with agricultural tenancy disputes and renewals, understanding the particular complex criteria for both agricultural landlords and tenants, whose life depends on being able to work the land

Lisa Haywood has unusually wide experience in livestock: defective feed causing widespread illness in herds, leading to foreseeable consequences in milking and lambing, and significant financial losses that pass down the chain. She’s also handled negligence claims in relation to inaccurately dealt with farm payments and poor advice from rural advisors in relation to finances and animal care.  

Both have dealt with farm partnerships, dissolution and valuation of assets, family buy-outs and other remedies when a farming business needs to end because of a disagreement, death, or any other of life’s reasons

Rare breeds? We love them

And of course, land disputes. Boundaries that move, Cornish hedges, squatters moving in, consideration of old tithe plans and historical deeds to prove ownership of sometimes large parcels of land

We don’t tend to get involved in subsidies or tax issues, because there are specialist accountants and agricultural surveyors who already do that (although we have been known to act in related professional negligence cases). 

We can and do work with those professionals, but we generally leave that part to their expertise

Agricultural and farming disputes though? We like to get our boots on, plough in the ground, and get down in the dirt to sort it all out 

Get in touch today to start a conversation with us