SOLICITOR Verity Gawthorp from the Rural Law Practice passed her Agricultural Law Association (ALA) exams and is now a qualified specialist in the area. 

The Agricultural Law Associations Fellowship is a course which provides in-depth training in various aspects of law and practice which rural professionals may come across as part of their daily caseload.  It is a detailed and intensive course run over two separate weeks, followed by an exam.  

Verity is based at the Rural Law Practice office of Thomson Hayton Winkley at the J36 Rural Auction Centre near Crooklands and deals with a wide range of rural property transactions.

Verity is now one of only a handful of ALA Fellows in the north-west. 

Verity said: “I am so pleased and proud to have been awarded the Fellowship of the ALA.  The course was intensive and difficult in places, especially having to revise and sit an exam after not having done so for about 20 years. 

"However, the course itself was really interesting and it definitely broadened my knowledge of all things rural and gave me the chance to meet other rural professionals from all over the country. 

"I would like to say a big thank you to Mike Holland (of the ALA), tutor Nerys Llewelyn Jones and all the other professionals who gave their time to provide training for the course.”

READ MORE: Thomson Hayton Winkley and The Rural Law Practice named Best Rural Professional Services Business

John Cooke, director of Thomson Hayton Winkley praised Verity’s achievements. 

He said: “I am so proud and pleased that Verity committed to studying to become an ALA Fellow.  Her enhanced knowledge will undoubtedly benefit the whole team at RLP.

“We always look to try and see the bigger picture when advising our farming and rural clients, because what might on the face of it seem to be a simple land transaction can often have other implications. 

"With the changes brought in by the Agriculture Act 2020 and the move away from the Basic Payment Scheme to different funding streams for farmers, this area of law is always changing and Verity will be very much part of us helping our clients to plan for the future."