SCOTTISH law firm Burness Paull has ramped up its rural business offering with the recruitment of a six-strong team from rival Ledingham Chalmers led by agriculture and estates specialist Linda Tinson.

Ms Tinson has been appointed as a partner in Burness Paull’s real estate division and head of the firm’s expanded rural business practice. Burness Paull said the team is “further strengthened” by legal consultant Jim Drysdale, senior associate Lorna McKay, associates Sarah Taylor and Jason Rust, and paralegal Sarah Strathdee, who are joining with Ms Tinson from Ledingham Chalmers.

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Burness Paull said: “[Ms] Tinson is a leading adviser in the rural and agricultural sector. The practice she has cultivated over many years covers a range of services including transactional business across all rural property types, traditional conveyancing matters, succession planning, business structuring, partnership reorganisation and agricultural holdings.

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“She also has considerable experience of advising clients on developing areas related to natural capital, such as land reform and other regulatory changes within the rural industries, agritourism, diversification strategies and renewables projects.”

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It noted that, alongside her legal career, Ms Tinson was a partner in a farming business from 1996 until 2015 and is vice-president of the Royal Highland Agricultural Association of Scotland.

Scott Peterkin, head of real estate at Burness Paull, said: “The appointment of Linda and her team is very exciting for our rural business practice and the wider firm, elevating our expertise in line with the ambitions of our clients.


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“Linda’s standing and strong client relationships, and the additional experience and capacity the expanded team brings, will further develop our rural business offering. This provides significant scope to draw on specialisms from across the firm – in areas such as corporate finance, private client, housebuilding, renewables and planning – as we support our rural business clients to explore the full breadth of commercial opportunities available to them.”

Peter Lawson, who chairs Burness Paull, said: “Our ambitious growth strategy is underpinned by investment in the exceptional talent required to strengthen and diversify key practice areas, as we seek to best support our clients in this changing economic landscape.

“Linda and her team are the latest example of this, following on from several other recent appointments, and we’re delighted to welcome them to the firm.”

Ms Tinson said: “Combining our experience and capabilities with the specialist expertise of my new colleagues, with strength and depth across the full range of legal services, positions us strongly to meet the diverse and evolving needs of those in the agricultural and estates sectors.”