Rural Business

Rix & Kay is based in the heart of the beautiful South East – and for decades we have been advising farmers and a wide range of other rural business owners. We provide access to knowledge and experience, as well as a detailed understanding of rural economic, legal and agricultural issues.

Many rural businesses stay within a family for generations and rural communities have different priorities and interests to city dwellers. We can act on behalf of an individual farmer or a community group, maybe in the interests of preserving a way of life.

Legal services for rural businesses

Our legal services for rural businesses include:

• Strategic business planning, including succession
• Shareholder, partnership and LLP agreements
• Joint ventures including cooperatives
• Business start ups, mergers acquisitions and restructuring
• Business diversification
• Building and land conversion, including planning law
• Supply agreements and terms of business
• Employment law
• Health and safety
• Environmental law
• Countryside rights of way (including coastal access issues)
• Rural property law, including common land and rights
• Development land agreements
• Utility wayleaves and telecommunications
• Agricultural tenancies and licences
• Family trusts, wills, estate administration and wealth preservation
• Dispute resolution
• Family break ups
• Taxation

Diversification

We can advise on all legal aspects of estate management diversification through conversions, leisure and exploitation and on opportunities for land development centered on commercial and residential schemes.

We will help you to look at the most effective means by which your business can be enhanced and eventually passed on to your chosen successors. That could be by sale, gifting, establishing trusts, or by the use of your will, optimising the inheritance tax and capital gains tax planning opportunities that successive governments have provided in the business and agricultural sectors.

“The rural business team at Rix & Kay Solicitors LLP has a long-standing tradition of assisting the farming and rural business communities in Sussex and Kent and beyond. The team members act for landowners and farmers on the acquisition and sale of agricultural land, deal with farm business agreements and partnerships and agricultural easements. The practice is headed by Richard Cripps in Sevenoaks and William Keating in Brighton.”
Legal 500 UK 2020