Forsters enhances its top-ranked Rural Property team with the hire of two partners from Bircham Dyson Bell
Forsters’ position as the leading legal advisor to Landed Estates is strengthened by the arrival of two rural property experts, Christopher Findley and Henry Cecil.
With the UK rural sector continuing to attract investment from both domestic and international clients, Forsters is strengthening its offer to Landed Estates clients through the lateral hire of two leading rural property experts.
On 1 October, Forsters' Landed Estates team (considered to be one of the largest in the UK) will be joined by Rural Property partners, Christopher Findley and Henry Cecil. Their arrival takes the Landed Estates team to nine partners, four of whom specialise in rural property, and to more than twenty five lawyers. The growth of the team signals Forsters' commitment to Landed Estates in general and to the rural sector in particular, where the firm has an extensive client base comprising traditional landowners, institutional investors in agricultural land and international buyers.
Christopher and Henry are highly experienced property lawyers, both being recognised as leading experts in the Rural Property sector. Christopher has a long-standing reputation for advising on agricultural landlord and tenant matters, and throughout his professional career he has contributed to legislative changes in this field. Christopher will also cement Forsters' leading reputation in land development and promotion agreements at a time when this work is very active with the pressure to deliver greenfield residential development to meet housing needs. Henry Cecil, as well as being a leading transactional Rural Property lawyer, is a trusted advisor to families with landed interests.
Paul Roberts, managing partner said: “The arrival of Christopher and Henry further strengthens our market leading Landed Estates practice. Their recruitment is consistent with our focus on investing in the real estate and private wealth sectors and on providing clients with the highest levels of service and legal expertise”.
Penny Elliott, Rural Property partner at Forsters said: “Christopher and Henry will help to ensure that Forsters remains the go-to firm for clients investing in rural property. Forsters has a deep commitment to the rural sector; this recruitment bolsters our overall client offering and presents new opportunities for us”.
Christopher Findley and Henry Cecil, partners, jointly commented: “We are delighted to be joining the Forsters Rural Property team, whom we know and respect from our work in the market. There is a natural cultural fit, and it is a logical move for us both to grow and enhance our respective practices in a firm which has a pre-eminent reputation in the landed estate and rural property sectors”.
The recruitment of Christopher and Henry increases Forsters’ overall partnership to 55 and reconfirms the firm's position as the leading legal advisor to clients within the private wealth and real estate sectors.