The Crown Estate has announced that Burges Salmon and Bond Dickinson will form its Rural and Coastal Portfolio and Windsor Estate legal panel after the conclusion of a competitive tender process.
Burges Salmon will take responsibility for representing The Crown Estate across its rural assets, which together form one of the largest portfolios of agricultural, forestry and common land in the UK. The firm will also take responsibility for The Crown Estate’s Windsor Estate which includes Windsor Great Park, extensive forests, residential and commercial properties, golf courses, a racecourse and tenanted agricultural land.
Bond Dickinson will represent The Crown Estate across its coastal holdings in England, which includes around fifty per cent of the foreshore and interests in ports, harbours, marinas and other commercial coastal developments.
Both firms, which sat on the previous panel, have been instructed for five years from April 2014 at which time a further review of requirements will be planned.
Vivienne King, The Crown Estate’s Director of Business Operations and General Counsel said: “Both Burges Salmon and Bond Dickinson are business partners which have consistently provided us with an excellent legal service throughout our relationship, so we are delighted to be continuing to work with them following the outcome of our competitive tender process. Both firms' sector specific expertise and understanding of our business will be a real asset as we continue to deliver on our long term commercial objectives.”
William Neville, who will act as the lead partner at Burges Salmon said: “We are very pleased to be appointed to provide advice on these important portfolios in the Food, Farming and Land sector. Sian Edmunds, who joins the partnership on 1 May, and partner Alastair Morrison will lead our team of experts drawn from across the firm and will work closely with The Crown Estate’s managing agents at Knight Frank, Carter Jonas and Smiths Gore.”
Nick Page, Chairman and Partner at Bond Dickinson said: 'Bond Dickinson is delighted to have been reappointed to The Crown Estate legal panel. The Real Estate sector is an important part of our focus, in which we are continuing to invest, and we greatly value the partnership we have built with The Crown Estate'.