Due to continued growth, we are seeking a qualified lawyer to join our Private Property & Agricultural team, handling a mix of country property, agricultural and commercial transactions.
Spanning our Bristol and Taunton offices, you will be joining a team comprised of 9 lawyers. We are looking to enhance our offering and continue to grow.
We are one of the biggest Agricultural teams in the UK, ranked for Agriculture in Somerset by Chambers and Partners with four of our members ranked individually. Our well-regarded team is also on the NFU panel of legal advisors for Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Dorset. Our national Commercial Property team, with whom we work closely, has presence in all seven of our offices and consists of approximately 99 fee earners and support staff. We are consistently regarded in the Legal 500 with a focus on quality work with reputable clients.
Your day to day responsibilities:
- Managing your own caseload covering a broad range of rural and agricultural property matters, including high value rural residential properties, listed buildings and unregistered land.
- Advising on complex farm and agricultural transactions, including bare land, working farms and large estates, often involving
diversification projects, renewable energy and nutrient neutrality issues.
- Providing advice across the full lifecycle of rural property transactions, including support payments, tenancies, rights of way, environmental issues, and secured lending.
- Undertaking a range of landlord and tenant work, including matters under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986, Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 and Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.
- Working closely with colleagues in planning, estate planning and litigation as part of the firm’s sector based approach.
Building strong client relationships with long standing clients, including landed estates, farming families, investors, banks and private individuals.
You will have plenty of client contact, with clients, some of whom have been with the firm for decades, who choose to instruct us to benefit from a high quality, tailored service and you will develop your client relationship skills to meet their expectations. The client base ranges from landed estates, farming families, or investors, banks and private individuals.
We encourage you to experience a broad range of work, and to build your connections with colleagues within other departments at the firm.
Learning from highly respected senior practitioners, you will be able to develop and hone your technical and client management skills, engaging in challenging and complex work. As an expanding team, there are real opportunities for career development as you gain expertise and build your wider skill set.
It is an integral part of this role that you comply with data security and all firm policies and procedures.
This role is right for you if:
- Are a qualified solicitor or legal executive with a strong academic background and a high level of intellectual curiosity.
- Enjoy managing your own work, demonstrating initiative, drive and excellent organisational skills.
- Are a genuine team player and an effective communicator, who enjoys collaborating with colleagues and supporting others.
- Have a strong interest in agriculture and the issues facing farming businesses.
- Bring well‑developed client management skills and an interest in business development.
- Are eager to continue learning, developing and refining your technical and client‑facing skills within a growing and ambitious team.
Who we are
You’ll be joining a national law firm that enjoys a strong reputation, made possible by our exceptional people – each chosen for their industry knowledge and passion for their field. We want to help you to reach your full potential, love the work you do and deliver the best results for your clients. It’s our goal to make you feel great about working with us, and we work hard to cultivate a culture that makes it easy for you to stay with us for many years.
What we can offer you
A career at Clarke Willmott will feel different to other law firms. We thrive on our individual differences and diversity because as a team, we are united by our shared values and mutual respect. Working with us you will feel empowered, valued and free to be yourself in a safe and supportive environment.
Our mission is to help you realise your full potential whilst maintaining a positive work-life balance. We provide a comprehensive learning and development programme and a range of wellbeing initiatives to support your career journey.
There’s no doubt we expect the best from our people and even the occasional extra mile. In return, your dedication and commitment to the continued success of the firm will be rewarded with a comprehensive range of flexible benefits.
