Events

ALA Fellowship 2019 – Part II (Members only)
Scarman Conference Centre, University of Warwick

The first session will be held on 30 September to 2 October 2019 (inclusive).

The second session will be held on 15 and 16 November 2019.

The examination will be held at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, 12 Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1A 2LP on Wednesday, 6 November 2019.

This course and examination are available only to those who have been registered as Full Members since at least 1st April 2019. This programme provides additional training in those areas of law relevant to rural practice in all professions and which are not taught at institutional level or in the various professional qualification courses. For those candidates who pass the examination, they will be awarded the Fellowship of the ALA.

Tutors:

Nerys Llewelyn Jones, FALA – Solicitor, AgriAdvisor, Carmarthenshire
Ben Williams, FALA – Rural Land Surveyor, Elms Estate Office, North Devon
Jarred Wright, FALA – Solicitor, Roythornes, Spalding
Daniel Lovatt, FALA – Chartered Surveyor, Lovatt & Nott, Worcestershire
Kate Theophilus, FALA – Solicitor, Stephens Scown, Exeter

CPD: >16 hour

Applications for the 2019 course are now closed.

If you would like to register your interest in taking the 2020 course please contact Mike Holland at mike.holland@ala.org.uk.

The ALA Hereford & Worcestershire Group will be holding an Autumn Seminar on Thursday, 24 October with St Johns Chambers and Old Mill at the Crown & Sandys, Main Road, Ombersley, WR9 0EW.

Our Speakers and Topics are:

Farms, Promises and Half Truths

Leslie Blohm QC and Christopher Jones, Barristers, St John’s Chambers

Leslie and Christopher will deliver a lecture on informal agreements and partnership assets in a farming context. The talk will look at the recent cases of Wild v Wild [2018] EWHC 2197 and Ham v Bell [2016] EWHC 1791 and consider what lessons can be drawn from those judgments and applied by the busy practitioner.

Following Leslie and Christopher’s lecture, delegates will be given a case study containing a scenario and series of questions for discussion and debate!

Partnership Disputes – An Accountant’s Approach

Mark Shelton, Consultant, Old Mill

Mark will discuss the accountancy aspects of these two cases and will consider the role of the accountant in avoiding similar disputes. In particular he will look at how partnership property, and a partner’s entitlement to partnership assets might be reflected in the accounts.

Members and Non-Members are welcome to attend.

Click here for full details and a booking form

Time : 4pm to 7pm

Cost : £20 per person (incl. VAT); Students free of charge

The ALA South West Group will be holding an Autumn Seminar on Tuesday, 29 October with St Johns Chambers and Old Mill at the offices of Stephens Scown, Osprey House, Malpas Road, Truro.

Our Speakers and Topics are:

Farms, Promises and Half Truths

Leslie Blohm QC and Christopher Jones, Barristers, St John’s Chambers

Leslie and Christopher will deliver a lecture on informal agreements and partnership assets in a farming context. The talk will look at the recent cases of Wild v Wild [2018] EWHC 2197 and Ham v Bell [2016] EWHC 1791 and consider what lessons can be drawn from those judgments and applied by the busy practitioner.

Following Leslie and Christopher’s lecture, delegates will be given a case study containing a scenario and series of questions for discussion and debate!

Partnership Disputes – An Accountant’s Approach

Mark Shelton, Consultant, Old Mill

Mark will discuss the accountancy aspects of these two cases and will consider the role of the accountant in avoiding similar disputes. In particular he will look at how partnership property, and a partner’s entitlement to partnership assets might be reflected in the accounts.

Members and Non-Members are welcome to attend.

Click here

Time : 5.15pm to 8pm

Cost : £20 per person (incl. VAT)

The Fellowship exam will be held at The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London.

Time : 2pm to 4.30pm

The Association’s Autumn Conference will be held at The Copthorne Tara Hotel, Kensington, London on Thursday, 7 November 2019.

Speakers/Topics:

Case Law Update – Leslie Blohm QC, St John’s Chambers

Farming & Divorce – Henry Hood & Rebecca Christie, Hunters Law

Electronic Communications Code – Oliver Radley-Gardner, Falcon Chambers

Developing with Nature – John Lockhart, Lockhart Garratt

Conservation Covenants – Jake Rostron, Michelmores

UK Agriculture Policy Update – Alex Carson-Taylor, Chair ALA, Nerys Llewelyn Jones, Vice-Chair ALA & Mike Holland, Secretary & Adviser, ALA

The Conference will provide 5 hours of formal CPD

The Conference is open to Members and Non-Members.

Click here for full details and a booking form

Time : 9.30am to 4.30pm

Cost : Members £168 (incl. VAT); Non-Members £228 (incl. VAT); Student Members £48 (incl. VAT)

The ALA Cheshire and North Wales regions will be holding their next event on Wednesday, 13 November 2019 at Vale of Clwyd Livestock Market, Parc Glasdir, Ruthin, Denbighshire, LL15 1PB.

Speakers:

Dr Nerys Llewelyn Jones FALA, Managing Partner, Agri Advisor

Dr Nerys Llewelyn Jones will set out the political and legal context of where we have got to in terms of Brexit, events and timetable going forward including a brief overview of the draft legislation being put forward on Brexit.

She will also set out a brief outline of the recent consultation Sustainable Farming by Welsh Government, schemes currently available to farmers and the change to NVZ rules in Wales from 1st January 2020.

Roy Jackson MAAT FCCA, Partner & Pip Elms FCA, Senior Accounts Manager, Whittingham Riddell

Given the ever-changing landscape of the farming industry, Roy Jackson and Pip Elms from Whittingham Riddell Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors will talk through key issues and offer examples of practical advice and solutions to help plan and protect farming businesses for the future, including:

How businesses can review and improve management information efficiently to enable informed decisions in real time

Providing an insight to options available for farming businesses to overcome current and future challenges

Understanding any potential tax implications and tax planning options available for such changes

Peter Lewis MRICS, J.Bradburne Price & Co

Agricultural Land Prices and Brexit

Many factors influence agricultural land prices the importance and implications of which vary with time and the emergence of new factors. Brexit and the repercussions arising therefrom could influence these existing factors. Peter will give his opinion as to these influences on land values and try and provide some foresight to future trends

The event is open to Members and Non-Members.

Click here full details and a booking form

Time : 8am to 11am

Cost : £20 per person (incl. VAT); Students free of charge

The ALA South Central Group is pleased to holding its Autumn Seminar at the offices of Moore Blatch, Gateway House, Tollgate, Chandlers Ford, Hampshire on 13 November.

With a changing relationship with the EU, Government proposals for legislative change, challenging trade conditions, the UK agriculture sector is facing uncertainty and opportunity. For the rural professional, our speakers will take a broader view of UK agriculture’s place both at home and abroad together with an update on proposed policy, legal and practical developments.

Speakers:

Emily Norton, Head of Rural Research, Savills

Karl McConville, Head of Landed Estates, Barclays

Heather Dobson, Head of Insolvency & Restructuring, Moore Blatch

Andrew Atkinson, Associate Director, Strutt & Parker

Anita Symington, Consultant Solicitor, Moore Blatch

Alex Carson-Taylor, International Trade & Development Specialist and Chair, ALA

Mike Holland, Secretary & Adviser, ALA

The event is open to Members and Non-Members.  Please note that places are limited to 50 and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Click here full details and a booking form

Time : 4pm to 7.30pm (to include supper)

Cost : £20 per person (incl. VAT); Students free of charge

The ALA Central England region will be holding a Autumn workshop event on Thursday, 14 November at the offices of Hewitsons, Elgin House, Billing Road, Northampton.

Full details and a booking form will be published shortly.

Time : 4pm to 7pm (including supper)

The ALA East of England Region will be holding a Joint Seminar with the Cambs and Isle of Ely Agricultural Valuers Association on 21 November 2019 at the Quy Mill Hotel, Cambridge, CB25 9AF.

Full details and a booking form will be published late September/early October.

The Winter meeting of the Council of the Association will take place on Thursday, 12 December.

Starter for Ten – England & Wales

ALA’s residential training course, Starter for Ten, gives a basic introduction for trainees and the newly qualified in those elements of the law which are relevant to rural business advice.

Land law and tenancies are covered as are the Common Agricultural Policy and the current subsidy schemes.

Tax and trusts are dealt with insofar as they affect farming and rural businesses and the course also deals with relevant litigation aspects.

The 2020 Starter for Ten will be held on 4 to 6 February 2020 at the Scarman Conference Centre, University of Warwick.

Please note that it is a requirement of the course that those attending are full members of the Association.  To join please go to https://ala.org.uk/join-the-ala/

There is a strict limit of 30 places and these will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.  In addition, there is a limit of 3 attendees from any one firm.

UPDATE 14.10.19 – THIS COURSE IS NOW FULLY BOOKED.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD YOUR NAME TO THE RESERVE LIST, PLEASE CONTACT MIKE HOLLAND AT mike.holland@ala.org.uk

The ALA/WS Society 23rd Joint Annual Conference on Agriculture will take place on Friday, 5 June 2020 at the Signet Library, Parliament Square, Edinburgh.

The Conference programme and booking details will be published in early Spring 2020.

Time : 9am to 4.15pm

The Annual General Meeting of the Agricultural Law Association will take place on Thursday 18 June 2020 at 6.00p.m. at the Army & Navy Club, 36-39 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5JN.

The AGM will be followed by the Annual Dinner which will commence at 7pm.

Full details and a booking form will be available in early 2020.

Only Members of the Association are permitted to attend the AGM.  However, guests of Members are invited to attend the Annual Dinner.

If you have any queries, please contact Mike Holland at mike.holland@ala.org.uk or on 07885 643341.

Time : 6pm to 10pm