Maddie Dunn Senior Associate

Maddie is an agricultural litigator and dispute resolution senior associate, helping clients achieve arrive the right resolution to their issue, minimising impact and maximising the chance of a successful outcome. She is supported by our extensive dispute resolution practice with a proven track record in the highest-profile cases and by a cross-firm team of agriculture and estates and food and farming specialists with particular sector expertise. With her own specific focus on the farming sector, family business disputes and disputes involving rural land and businesses, Maddie provides advice on contentious matters to a range of individuals and organisations. Clients include:

• farmers
• family businesses, or those with an interest in them
• partnerships
• trustees
• executors
• beneficiaries 
• family offices
• landed estates
• and property owning individuals.

Typical issues Maddie has experience with include:

• agricultural holdings and tenancies
• family business dispute resolution for a variety of business structures, including limited companies, LLPs and traditional partnerships
• complex residential disputes and advisory work in relation to residential tenancies and agricultural residential occupiers
• equine impoundment and action relating to straying livestock
• farming partnership disputes 
• proprietary estoppel
• prescriptive easements 
• contentious probate and trust related disputes.

Maddie has previously spoken at numerous events and conferences, including the annual CAAV/Burges Salmon Conference, the ICAEW Farming and Rural Business Conference and at stand alone events. She has had an article on agricultural occupancy disputes published in Farmers Guardian and is a member of the Agricultural Law Association. Maddie is producing a series of practical articles for family business owners and advisers in which we will examine some of the major pitfalls which family business owners need to be aware of in order to avoid the types of disputes that can threaten the foundations or existence of family businesses, whether they are structured as companies or partnerships. The articles are accessible via our Family Business Dispute Resolution page.

• Working as part of a cross firm team to negotiate and facilitate a settlement and partnership dissolution and division of assets in relation to a family farming partnership dispute.
• Assisting with the review of the residential occupation arrangements of a large number of employees of the Royal Horticultural Society, including those with historic rights and security of tenure and advising on the regularisation of the employees' occupation status, including communication input.
• Acting for a County Council in relation to a review of its tenancy arrangements, identifying areas of risk, and strategies for managing or mitigating the risks identified.
• Advising The Crown Estate in relation to the contractual protection of tenants' rights in the context of portfolio sale of properties occupied by Regulated, Assured and Protected Shorthold tenants, Protected Occupants and AAOs to a private sector landlord, including input on tenant communications and PR. 
• Advising private sector and public body landlords on tenancy successions on death or retirement.
• Acting for a will trust beneficiary in relation to a dispute with his trustees and the terms for transfer of agricultural real estate. This included advice in relation to applications for Beddoes relief.
• Advice to the National Trust and private clients in relation to the enforcement of restrictive covenants and in relation to possession claims against a variety of tenants including Assured and Regulated Tenants.
• Acting for landowner clients in cases in both the Agricultural Land Tribunal Wales and the Agricultural Land and Drainage - First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).