Jonathan Carroll

Farming has always involved risk – weather, markets, livestock, machinery. Yet one of the biggest risks we see regularly isn’t outside the farm gate at all. It’s the absence of a clear partnership agreement between the people actually running the business. Jonathan Carroll, Director & Head of Agriculture, explores why partnership agreements are essential for farming families. If one of the partners died tomorrow, would everyone know exactly what happens…

Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors has been recognised for the outstanding achievements of its agriculture and Wills, probate and inheritance departments. Published this week, the Chambers UK Legal Guide 2026, has ranked the firm’s agriculture team as one of the best the in the country for the sixth consecutive year. This recognition comes just a few weeks after the team also retained its Band 1 rating in the Legal 500 professional legal…

It’s been an eventful few weeks for those in farming, either as owners or as landlords. You won’t have missed the storm of protest over the Budget. Who knows if the farmer protests will have any effect, but if not then those with farms and businesses will need to plan ahead. There are some obvious things that people should do, especially those who are married or young enough to expect at least…

THE agriculture team at a Cumbrian law firm has been ranked as one of the best in the country for the fifth consecutive year. Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors’ agriculture team received top ranking in the prestigious Chambers UK Legal Guide 2025 which lists the UK’s best law firms and solicitors. The industry recognition comes less than a month after the department retained its Band 1 rating in The Legal 500 professional…

“You couldn’t write it, could you? If you had said 12 months ago that we would be on our third Prime Minister in 2 months, with inflation in double-digits and interest rates rising fast, few would have believed you. But here we are. For farmers, the transition to ELMS and SFI is still unsettled. The window to apply for the lump sum exit scheme has closed, with a reported several…

A LAW firm is celebrating after its agriculture team won national recognition for its services. Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors’ Agriculture and Estates department has been named as one of the best in the country by a top UK legal guide. It is the third consecutive year that the team has been ranked in the top tier of legal firms in The Chambers UK Legal Guide. The Agriculture and Estates team, which…

“We might all be forgiven for feeling a bit under the weather: farmers have a lot of change to cope with, and we all have the ongoing ‘stuff’. So when there’s some good news, we should celebrate it – having our Agriculture team ranked in the top band by both main legal reviews; expanding the team with two bright, young Cumbrian lawyers; Katherine Pretswell-Walker joining the Board of Directors. That’s really good…

The agricultural team at a leading law firm has been named among the best in the country. Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors’ Agriculture and Estates department has been recognised for its expertise and knowledge of the farming sector in a national legal guide, which ranks lawyers and law firms throughout the UK. The Chambers UK Guide 2022 placed the team in the top tier of legal firms for the second year in…

A recently qualified agricultural solicitor has been recognised for her work in the rural sector. Emma Blamire, 25, who lives on her family’s farm at Thursby, near Carlisle, picked up the Agricultural Student/ Rural Skills Award at the inaugural Cumbria Farmer Awards 2021. Emma is part of Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors’ Agriculture and Estates team, one of the leading agricultural law practices in the north of England. Judges praised how she…

Changes to the laws on Agricultural Holdings come into force on 21 June 2021, allowing tenants to demand changes to their tenancy or consent from their landlord, where the landlord will not agree. Jonathan Carroll Director and Head of Agriculture provides an update. Agricultural Holdings Act The snappily titled “Agricultural Holdings (Requests for Landlord’s Consent or Variation of Terms and the Suitability Test) (England) Regulations 2021” allow a tenant of an…