Commercial Property & Agriculture

Commercial property and agricultural assets are significant investments, and the legal issues surrounding them can be complex, time sensitive, and commercially critical. Our team provides clear, strategic advice across all areas of commercial real estate and agricultural law, supporting landowners, businesses, farmers, developers, and investors with practical solutions tailored to their needs.

Commercial Property & Agriculture

Commercial Property Services

Whether you are acquiring premises, managing a property portfolio, negotiating a lease, or working through a development project, our Commercial Property team delivers comprehensive support at every stage of the process. We advise on freehold and leasehold transactions, refinancing, complex development agreements, commercial leases, landlord and tenant matters, option agreements, and site acquisitions.

Our role is to safeguard your interests and minimise risk while ensuring the transaction progresses efficiently. We investigate title issues, negotiate contractual terms, handle enquiries, liaise with lenders and surveyors, and manage all due diligence. Our team works proactively, keeping you informed throughout and identifying potential issues before they become obstacles.

For landlords and tenants, we provide strategic advice and commercially pragmatic advice  on lease negotiations, renewals, variations, dilapidation claims, rent reviews, and compliance with legal obligations. Commercial leases can be technically complex, and we ensure you understand your rights and responsibilities, helping you secure terms that protect your long‑term position.

We also support clients involved in property development from site acquisition, construction, financing, and disposals. Our team is experienced in handling overage provisions, planning obligations, infrastructure agreements, and multi‑party transactions, ensuring each stage is managed with efficiency and attention to detail.

Agricultural Law Services

Agricultural businesses face a unique blend of commercial, environmental, and regulatory challenges. Our Agricultural Law team advises farmers, rural landowners, estates, and agri‑businesses on a wide range of matters affecting both day‑to‑day operations and long‑term planning.

We provide guidance on farm sales and purchases, agricultural tenancies (including Farm Business Tenancies and Agricultural Holdings Act agreements), boundary and access issues, rights of way, grazing agreements, diversification projects, and renewable energy schemes such as solar and wind installations.

Agricultural land often carries complex legal considerations, including inheritance planning, partnership agreements, subsidies, environmental schemes, and succession arrangements. We help clients navigate these challenges with clarity, ensuring decisions are made with a full understanding of legal implications and future impact.

Where estates or farming businesses involve multiple generations, family arrangements, or shared ownership, we support clients in creating structures that protect both the business and family relationships. Our advice is practical, commercially minded, and grounded in a deep understanding of rural affairs.

Your Property, Your Business, Your Future

Whether you are managing a commercial premises, expanding a rural enterprise, or investing in land, our team provides the specialist legal expertise needed to protect your interests. We combine technical knowledge with a practical approach, tailoring our advice to your objectives and ensuring you receive clear guidance at every step.

Team Members

Claire Poulton

Partner

Claire Poulton

Claire joined Rutherfords in September 2006 shortly after completing her Law Degree. Claire began work at Rutherfords as a paralegal, gaining experience in a variety of commercial and property transactions, going on to qualify as a solicitor in June 2010 and was, subsequently, made partner in January 2013. 

Claire has had the benefit of working in a variety of areas of law and is therefore able to apply this breadth of knowledge to all her work but now specialises in commercial property, landlord and tenant, agricultural and complex development work. She acts mainly for property owners / landowners with large expanding portfolios together with land owners and developers on complex development projects (including option agreements, overage agreements, conditional contracts, development agreements and land promotion agreements).

Claire has a long-standing client base and adopts a professional, warm and friendly approach which is welcomed by business and private clients alike

Daniella Tarbuck

Consultant Solicitor

Daniella Tarbuck

Daniella is a Consultant Solicitor who has many years’ experience dealing with business owners mainly in the SME market as she enjoys the ‘hands on’ approach required when working alongside business owners and directors as part of their legal team. Having worked in commerce before her legal career, she adopts a practical and commercial view of transactional work and works hard to find a straightforward resolution for her clients.

Daniella was educated at Queen Mary’s High School for Girls and The University of Birmingham and trained at the Wilkes Partnership in Birmingham, following a period of working for Wragge & Co immediately after qualification.

She now enjoys working with the Rutherfords team to assist corporate and commercial clients achieve the best outcome they can from their transactions and has a particular interest in fast turnaround commercial bridging finance.

Jason King

Jason joined Rutherfords LLP in 2020 as part of the expansion of the Commercial Team.

Jason obtained Distinction when undertaking the LPC at Nottingham Law School, having already obtained a grade 2:1 Law Degree. Having completed his training contract at a law firm in Warwickshire, he qualified as a solicitor in early 2017. Jason has benefitted from working in various areas of Commercial and Property law, with the ability to assist clients in a variety of different matters

Lauren Henderson

Solicitor

Lauren Henderson

Lauren joined Rutherfords in 2015 as a Paralegal in our Corporate and Commercial Department.

Lauren started her training contract in 2017. She achieved a first class Law Degree and went on to graduate, achieving a Masters in Law (LLM) and completed her LPC.

Lauren has been an integral part of the Corporate and Commercial Department since joining Rutherfords and completed her training contract in 2019 and will continue to work with the team on all Corporate and Commercial matters now as a qualified Solicitor.

David Sketchly

Consultant Solicitor

David Sketchley

David is a Consultant Solicitor specialising in Commercial and Agricultural property and development work and related matters including partnership, Wills and successor advice.

David trained with Rutherfords, becoming a partner and became Managing partner before leaving to establish his own practice, Sketchley & Co, to allow him to concentrate on development and agricultural work.

Sketchley & Co merged with Dewes & Son, a long established Tamworth firm, with the two practices becoming Dewes Sketchley and later as Dewes LLP. David continued as Managing partner. The practice was eventually sold to Fishers of Ashby with David working as a consultant.

David wanted to return to his roots and has now come full circle to where he started and we welcome him back to the fold as a Consultant with us.

David has many years’ experience and has acted for numerous property developers and farmers on all aspects of their work form original site development, farm acquisition and sales, partnership creation and disputes and commercial lease work for both Landlords and Tenants as well as their private client work. Other work includes acting on multiple farm sales involving PLC’s, the Crown and private owners. He has also advised partnership and company reorganisations primarily for the farming community together with wills and succession planning.

David has also negotiated deals with several major house builders including Persimmon, Bellway and Taylor Wimpey involving options, promotion agreements and conditional contracts, on schemes varying from 10 to 600 plus houses.

Legal Secretary

Denise Lorton

Denise is an experienced legal secretary who joined the firm in 2023.

Denise provides support to the Commercial Department.

Legal Secretary

Joanne Brotherhood

Joanne is an experienced legal secretary who joined the firm in 2024.

Joanne provides support to the Commercial Department.

Services

Call us on: 01827 311411

Ventura House, Ventura Park Road,
Tamworth, Staffordshire B78 3HL
T: 01827 311411
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