Overview

Ross is a Partner in Burges Salmon’s Real Estate department specialising in strategic land and rural property. Ross is ranked in Legal 500 as a Next Generation Partner for both London and the South West.

Ross is dual qualified to practise in England and Wales, and Scotland. He is an experienced property lawyer whose clients include traditional land and estate owners, family trusts, farm partnerships, charitable foundations as well as institutions and investors. 

Ross undertakes complex strategic land work advising on options, promotion agreements and conditional contracts associated with major projects regularly acting for consortia of landowners.

His wide-ranging rural practice spans the purchase and sale of estates, farms, country houses, commercial forestry, island properties, sporting rights and salmon fishings. 

Ross’s expertise also extends to advising on the real estate aspects of natural capital and ecosystem services projects involving the sale of environmental credits such as woodland planting, habitat creation, rewilding, peatland restoration and catchment management schemes. 

Ross presents on rural property matters at professional events. Ross is also a Writer to Her Majesty's Signet and was formerly an external examiner to the University of Glasgow.

 
Experience
  • Acting for a purchaser in the acquisition of a large mixed use estate, bought for conservation purposes, subject to extremely tight timescales and praised by land agents for efficient handling and expert advice.
  • Acting for an institutional landowner on the disposal of a significant agricultural and residential investment estate comprising some 1,700 acres situated in the Midlands.
  • Acting for two family trusts in relation to ongoing performance under a completed hybrid agreement over land to the north west of Cardiff allocated for the development of 7,000 homes.
  • Advising a prominent UK-wide forestry management company in devising precedent agreements for carbon offsetting through tree planting.
  • Acting for a private family trust and associated investment vehicles in preparing and negotiating drawdown and investment agreements relating to the multi-phased development of a business park.
  • Advising a private investment management firm in relation to financing of 52.9 MW wind farm at Blackcraig, Dumfries and Galloway.
  • Acting funder-side on the project financing of a 26.65MW wind farm at Quixwood Moor, Berwickshire.

What others say...

Ross and his team were superb and left no stone unturned. They helped us negotiate a good deal, were very technically capable and produced outstanding legal work for us.

Chambers UK 2024