Ross Simpson Partner

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 His Majesty's Signet and was formerly an external examiner to the University of Glasgow.

• Acting as lead legal adviser for one of the UK’s largest farming operations (owned and controlled by a major institutional investor) on the £100m+ freehold sale and disposal of two highly productive farming estates and associated agricultural assets involving the transfer of over 8,350 acres, 20 residential properties and a number of let renewable energy schemes as well as the winding up of a major contract farming operation.
• Acting as lead legal adviser to Oxygen Conservation on the acquisition of all its landholdings currently totalling c.30,000 acres across 10 sites spanning England, Scotland and Wales for use in connection with innovative natural capital and sustainable land projects including habitat creation/restoration, woodland creation and peatland restoration.
• Acting for two family trusts in relation to ongoing performance and disposal of development land under a completed hybrid agreement for a garden city project lying to the northwest of Cardiff allocated for the development of 7,000 homes.
• Acting for private landowners joining together with a Cambridge College in entering into a promotion agreement and leading on the specialist advice and drafting of various landowner equalisation, collaboration and cross option agreements in respect of 150 acres of land for mixed use, residential led development.
• Acting for one of the UK’s largest landowners on the disposal of a significant agricultural and residential investment estate comprising some 1,700 acres situated in the Midlands.
• 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.
• Acting for a HNW 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 as a “go to” adviser to energy developers on specialist matters affecting UK rural land both in England and Wales, and in Scotland, including agricultural holdings, forestry, right to buy legislation, sporting rights, crofting and minerals.
• Advising a private investment management firm in relation to the financing of a 52.9 MW wind farm at Blackcraig, Dumfries and Galloway.