Farming, family and “fairness” – how to mitigate the risk of inheritance disputes

Webinar | Agriculture

About This Webinar

Tuesday 05 April, 09:30 - 10:15

It is no coincidence that many of the most significant court inheritance disputes are in farming families. These types of disputes are always complex, difficult, and emotive, but particularly in a farming context. Those disputes require specialist advice and representation to unpick.

This agricultural webinar focused on inheritance disputes which often have the following themes:

Land - this has often been passed down, added to, and consolidated over a course of decades and there is often a very strong desire for land not to be sold or split up. The land often has very significant value – both financially and emotionally.
Family – it is not uncommon for one child of the farming family to take the reins in the business whilst others go and pursue other careers and interests. The parents want to retain the family business so leave it to the child in the business – but this can generate resentment for the other children, which provides fertile ground for dispute.
Partnerships – it is not uncommon for farming businesses to be run on an informal basis, without a formal partnership agreement in place. Unfilled promises, miscommunication, and misunderstanding as to how those businesses are run can lead to unexpected and controversial outcomes, which can often pull at the seams of a family farming business.

Jonathon Stork and Andrew Wilkinson talked through the types of claims that can be brought against farming estates and what you can do to minimise the risk of those disputes arising in the first place.

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