Our dedicated team of lawyers provide tailored advice to prominent UK landed estates and their owners.
The uniqueness of Michelmores is its connectedness. Through its many sector teams, networks, and initiatives, it has been able to stay current and relevant across all areas. This adds value to our interactions, as it amplifies their solutions.
Legal 500 2026
At Michelmores, we provide solutions for every aspect of estate life.
Our Landed Estates team advises on a wide range of legal matters for significant estates across England and Wales. We support estates with both their business interests – such as strategic land development, natural capital, commercial ventures, landlord and tenant matters and renewable energy – and their personal matters, including succession planning, wealth protection and family governance.
Combining respect for heritage with a commitment to innovation, we help families protect what matters most while embracing opportunities for growth and modernisation. By taking the time to understand the people behind each estate, and working closely with other professional advisers, we provide clear, coordinated advice to help clients navigate change - preserving their legacy for generations to come.
Our rural property experts advise on complex transactions across landed estates, agricultural land, country houses and high-value residential property for both vendors and purchasers. We also act as trusted advisers, supporting clients with the practical legal issues that arise from ownership and the day-to-day management of these assets.
We have one of the largest agricultural litigation and transactional teams in the country, offering a comprehensive, one-stop service for rural property matters. From agricultural tenancy succession and contested public rights of way to proprietary estoppel claims, we cover the full spectrum of issues.
Key contact: Vivienne Williams and Christian Massey.
We advise landed estate owners and their families, their trustees, and their professional advisers in relation to all aspects of tax and succession planning.
In an evolving tax landscape where intergenerational wealth planning is ever more critical, our team of specialist tax and trust advisers can design innovative and deliverable strategies for maximising tax efficiency whilst retaining proper control and asset protection. We advise estates with diverse asset structures, often including trusts and corporate vehicles, and which include rural and urban enterprises, property portfolios, heritage assets, and international aspects. We also help structure opportunities and minimise risks in the emerging Natural Capital marketplace.
We pride ourselves on being the ‘trusted adviser’ for landed estates across all aspects of their legal requirements. We understand their business and what it takes to help maintain and grow a successful landed estate.
Key contact: Iwan Williams
We offer market-leading expertise in the fast-evolving area of Natural Capital, advising clients on Carbon Credits, Biodiversity Net Gain, Nutrient Neutrality, landscape recovery and more. We are lucky enough to have an exceptionally strong natural capital team, led by one of the first lawyers to engage with the emerging policy on natural capital.
Visit our Natural Capital hub.
Key contact: Ben Sharples
Having one of the largest residential development legal teams and a leading private client practice, we are uniquely placed to help landed estates unlock the potential of land for development.
Our nationally recognised Strategic Land team provides clear, commercially focused structuring advice from the outset of a transaction. Whether you are entering into promotion agreements, strategic options, conditional contracts, overage, joint ventures or collaboration agreements, we ensure interests are protected and long-term goals supported. We help structure deals that are robust, future proof and aligned with you land strategy.
Visit our Strategic Land hub.
Key contact: Julie Sharpe
Our Employment team advises on all aspects of employment law, including drafting contracts of employment, consultancy agreements and service occupancy arrangements for employees living in estate or farm-owned accommodation.
We have extensive experience supporting employers with employee issues and potential disputes, including disciplinary and grievance matters, helping to reduce the risk of costly and time-consuming Employment Tribunal claims. We also advise on policies and processes, providing pragmatic guidance to help employers prepare for the employee-friendly reforms introduced by the Employment Rights Act.
Key contact: Kate Gardner
Our Corporate and Commercial teams help landed estates operate effectively as fully diversified businesses. Recognising that estate structures are often varied, we cut through the complexity and deliver workable solutions.
We advise on the structures, governance and arrangements that underpin estates, supporting and facilitating diversification and commercial activity alongside traditional estate management. This includes the formation and management of bespoke Private Trust Companies, Limited Liability Partnerships, Family Limited Partnerships and Family Investment Companies, supporting multi-generational structuring, succession planning and diversification.
As estates evolve to include new and innovative corporate structures, the cross-sector experience of our Corporate and Commercial team is an integral part of our landed estates expertise.
Key contact: Adam Kean
We provide planning and environmental advice to landed estates, including:
Each matter is bespoke, so it will often not fall into any of the above categories. We will work with you to find the correct solution.
Key contact: Helen Hutton
We support individuals and families who own landed estates and rural businesses through all stages of life. This includes wealth protection measures such as nuptial and cohabitation agreements, as well as representing clients on the breakdown of a relationship. We work collaboratively with colleagues across the firm and clients’ other advisors to provide practical, holistic advice that takes into account the potential family law implications of the way clients arrange their affairs and help to mitigate the risks that may be posed by a future separation.
Key contact: Felicity Chapman
Our Commercial & Regulatory Disputes team includes specialist intellectual property, regulatory and reputation management litigators, supporting landed estates and rural businesses to protect their brands, reputation and commercial interests.
We work across a broad range of disputes and investigations, including intellectual property infringement, contractual and regulatory claims, planning and environmental challenges, and matters involving regulatory and criminal enforcement bodies.
Key contact: Charles Courtenay
We provide commercially focused, pragmatic advice across the full life cycle of energy projects, supporting landowners and developers across a range of technologies, including solar (ground and roof mounted), wind, hydro and anaerobic digestion.
Key contact: Stephen Newson
By choosing a lead partner who reflects your values, you gain a trusted adviser backed by a responsive, experienced team, offering the feel of an “in-house” legal service. We take time to understand the people behind the estates, so our guidance is not only expert but genuinely personal.
Through the collaboration of specialist teams working at the cutting edge of rural sector developments, we support the whole picture of estate activity. This unrivalled breadth of coverage ensures our people deliver the highest quality advice to estate-owning families.
Our Landed Estates team is ranked by Chambers High Net Worth in the UK-wide Landed Estates category. Partners Iwan Williams and Christian Massey are individually ranked Band 1 for their expertise.
We are deeply embedded within the rural profession, working closely with land agents, surveyors and other advisers across the UK. These long standing networks enable a genuinely joined up service, with professionals regularly turning to us as the 'go-to' firm when estate focused legal input is needed.
Our team brings together lawyers from across the business. Among us are professionals with complementary expertise; including Chartered Surveyors (RICS Rural Division), Chartered Tax Advisers and a King's Counsel (KC). We recruit people with backgrounds in agriculture and rural property to ensure a genuine understanding of the challenges and opportunities estates face.
