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Thomas Kirkman

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Tom Kirkman lawyer photo

Tom advises land owners on a whole gamut of property issues strongly focused on the rural sector. Tom provides pragmatic and commercially rooted advice to both private and institutional landowners on day to day management issues and one off transactional matters affecting their properties.

As part of the Property team the core of Tom's work is rural in nature, he does however have broad experience of advising on both transactional and management matters across the agricultural, residential and commercial sectors in keeping with his clients' diverse and flexible property holdings.

Tom has earned particular praise for his transactional work dealing with sales and acquisitions of rural farms and estates often with time pressured deadlines. Clients are drawn to his calm and assured manner.

Tom qualified as a solicitor in 2010.

Expertise

Landed estates

Tom has particular expertise in the agricultural sector advising institutional landowners, charities, farming businesses and private clients on tenancy issues. He routinely handles complex tenancy matters advising on both farm business tenancies and Agricultural Holdings Act tenancies. As well as transactional and tenancy work, Tom is regularly involved in day to day management issues affecting landowners such as easements, restrictive covenants and landlord and tenant matters and also provides advice in connection with secured lending acting for banks in connection with charges over rural and residential property. Recent work has also included advice in connection with arrangements of existing holdings for charitable institutions (including schools) as part of internal restructuring.

Testimonials

"Thomas Kirkman … will go above and beyond to be available to assist us with urgent needs and provide the best advice at all times." (Legal 500 2024)

"Tom Kirkman [is an] exceptional operator." (Legal 500 2023)

Tom is recognised in the Legal 500 as a 'talented associate' and is quoted as providing 'a superb service on farm disposals and acquisitions.'

"Tom Kirkman puts the client first and while robust with the opposition is able to find solutions. He has the emotional intelligence to bring people around to a position in his clients’ favour‘." (Legal 500 2021)

Memberships

Tom is a member of the Country Land and Business Association and the Agricultural Law Society.

Work Highlights

Recent work undertaken includes:

  • An extremely challenging purchase of a diverse estate comprising approximately 6,000 acres of farmland, woodland, residential and commercial units including both tenanted and in hand properties.
  • Advising a charitable client on the purchase of an investment farm (with an Agricultural Holdings Act tenant) together with an interest in a wind turbine held through a separate corporate structure.
  • Assisting an educational institutional landowner with a promotion agreement for the potential development  of agricultural land for 40 new residential units.

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