LOCAL SOLICITOR GAINS INFLUENTIAL LAND REFORM ROLE
Written by author on October 21, 2015
Region’s solicitor appointed to Law Society Committee to play an influential role ahead of Scotland’s Land Reform Bill
A solicitor from Dumfries & Galloway has been appointed to join the Law Society of Scotland’s Rural Affairs Committee and will play an influential role on informing the Scottish Government’s Land Reform Bill.
David Hall, from Kirkcudbright, is the only solicitor to be appointed from south west Scotland and will travel regularly to Edinburgh throughout the year to represent the needs of Scotland’s land owners and farmers at the Rural Affairs Committee.
This week also sees the opening of his law firm that services agricultural and land owning clients throughout Scotland, many of them from Dumfries & Galloway.
Hall Baird Solicitors, a partnership between David and fellow Solicitor Karen Baird, focuses heavily on the requirements of those working in one of the region’s most vital industries of farming and agriculture, as well as servicing commercial, individual and forestry concerns. They offer clients a considerable breadth of experience in both general legal practice and on specialist, agricultural matters.
The function of the Rural Affairs Committee is to provide specialist legal input to the Scottish Government on proposed legislation which will have an impact upon rural affairs.
The Land Reform Bill proposes to end tax relief for shooting estates and force the sale of land if owners are believed to be blocking economic development. The additional money raised by tax exemption, labelled the Scottish Land Fund, will help support community buyouts of land, from £3m this year to £10m next year.
Government targets include more transparency in land ownership, to be detailed in the Land Register for Scotland, and one million acres of land to be in community ownership by 2020. Thus the concerns and representation of agricultural businesses and land owners is at the forefront of thoughts for David who hails from a farming family and along with Karen has shared passion and lengthy experience of working with rural based clients.
David Hall, Solicitor and Director at Hall Baird, said:
“I am delighted to be appointed to the Rural Affairs Committee and represent the needs and concerns of Dumfries & Galloway at a national level. There are huge changes afoot for Scotland and indeed Dumfries & Galloway, with the Land Reform Bill which is well underway. As a farmer’s son I have a particular interest and passion in rural matters and the rural community.
