Peter Williams – Professional Biography

Career Details

Articles at Burges Salmon 1980-82                                                         

Solicitor/Associate at Burges Salmon 1982 – 87

Equity Partner at Burges Salmon 1987 – 2010   

Formerly Head of Agriculture at Burges Salmon     

Founding Partner of Ebery Williams LLP 2010                         

Partner at Michelmores LLP 2012 – 2020

Professional Commitments  include

Vice Chairman, National Trainee Solicitors Group (1981 – 82)
Committee Member, Bristol Young Solicitors Group (1983 – 89)
Committee Member and Legal Adviser, Carr-Gomm (Bristol) Society (1983 – 87)
Chairman, Bristol Legal Advice Centres Association (1984 – 1986)
Council Member, Bristol Law Society (1985 – 1989)
Governor, The Downs School, Wraxall (2000 – 2005)
Bristol Chancery Users Committee (1989 to date)

Qualifications and Membership

Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (1996)
Solicitor – Advocate (Higher Court Civil Proceedings) (2004)
Fellow of the British Institute of Agricultural Consultants (Member 1996, Fellow 2009)
Member of the Agricultural Law Association

Notable Cases include

European Court of Justice

National Assembly for Wales v Penycoed Farming Partnership (2005): milk levy

House of Lords

Pye v Graham (2002): adverse possession of agricultural land

Court of Appeal

Official Solicitor v Thomas (1986): notice to pay

Cawley v Pratt (1988): notices to quit

Ellis v Gratton Hughes (1991): farming partnership

AMC v Woodward (1994): section 99 of the Law of Property Act 1925: tenancies/mortgages

Barclays Bank v Eustice (1995): tenancies/mortgages

Swift v Dairywise Farms Ltd (2000): transfer of milk quota

Michael v Miller (2004): the lender’s duty in relation to the sale of property

Lifely v Lifely (2008): farming partnership

Peel v Coln Park LLP (2010): Case B Arbitration

Ham v Ham (2013): farming partnership

Commercial First Business Limited v Munday (2014): estoppel

Davies v Davies (2016): estoppel

Moore v Moore (2018): estoppel/farming partnership

Rees v Windsor-Clive (2020): interpretation of lease reservations 

Procter v Procter (2021): letting by a landowner to himself and others

O G Thomas Amaethyddiaeth Cyf v Turner  (2022): validity of a notice to quit

Procter v Procter (2024): retirement from a partnership and its financial consequences 

High Court

Hoveringham Group Ltd v Scholey (1982): Gladstone v Bower agreements

Puncknowle Farm Ltd v Kane (1985): apportionment of milk quota

Charlton v Hawking (2003): rights of occupation of agricultural land and proprietary estoppel

Patmore v Bean (2003): power of receivers to take possession

Barclays Bank v Bean (2004): the operation of the statutory rent review provisions under the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995

Aurora Leasing Ltd v S Morgan & Sons Limited (2009): peaceable re-entry of property

Ward v Gibbons (2009): estoppel     

Done v Ecroyd (2013): milk quota agreement 

Davies v AHP Land Limited (2014): Agricultural Holdings arbitration

Brake v Patley Wood Farm LLP (2014): partnership arbitration

Moore v Moore (2016): estoppel/farming partnership

Bell v Ham (2016): farming partnership

Crown Estate v Wakley (2016): breach of repair covenant under the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995

Earl of Plymouth v Rees (2019): access to farm relating to a development of housing

Procter v Procter (2019): application of the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 

Windsor-Clive v Rees (2020): jurisdiction of Arbitrator under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 

Windsor-Clive v Rees (2021): estoppel

Turner v Thomas (2022): validity of a notice to quit under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986   

Procter v Procter (2022): rescission of a notice to quit for breach of fiduciary duty in a farming partnership 

Govier v J A & J C Watkins Limited (2023): section 6 arbitration appeal

Limbrick v Limbrick (2023): stay of High Court proceedings to enable a contractual arbitration to proceed

Shropshire Council v RMC Farming Limited (2023): stay of High Court proceedings to enable a statutory arbitration to proceed/confidentiality of a statutory arbitration

Cobden v Cobden (2024): a successful application for a Syers Order to buy out a partner’s share

County Court

Windsor-Clive v Rees (2021): failed strike out application. Whether estoppel can be maintained as a defence to possession proceedings after a statutory arbitration

The Trustees of Godinton House v Luandy Farming Limited (2024): stay of forfeiture proceedings pursuant to section 4 of the Arbitration Act 1996 

Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber)

Bodorgan Properties (CI) Limited v Evans (2019): Interpretation of the Agricultural Land Tribunals (Rules) Order 2007

Agricultural Land Tribunal/First-tier Tribunal

Carr v Evelyn Trust (2019): sound estate management                 

Carr v Evelyn Trust (2020): liability for costs

Limbrick v The National Trust and Limbrick (2022): contested succession application

Dorset Council v Symes (2023): consent to the operation of a notice to quit. Amalgamation of holdings

Authorship

Author of Scammell, Densham and Williams Law of Agricultural Holdings (9th Edition: 2007, 10th Edition: 2015 and 11th Edition 2023) and intervening Supplements

Previously contributor to numerous textbooks and publications including Halsbury’s Laws, Agriculture volume; Butterworth’s Encyclopaedia of Farms and Precedents, Agriculture and Landlord and Tenant volumes; and Sweet and Maxwell’s Agricultural Law Tax and Finance

Property Litigation Association

Pye v Graham was voted by the PLA “to be the case with the greatest significance for and impact on property law in the previous decade”

Lecturing

Blundell Lecturer

Has lectured extensively for the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, Rural Arbrix, the RICS, the ALA, BIAC, Law Societies, Central Law Training, Lexis Nexis and others

Legal Directories

Since Chambers Guide to the UK Legal Profession and The Legal 500 have had individual ratings, PRW has been in the top tier for Agriculture, not only for the south-west but nationally. In Legal 500 PRW has been the only solicitor outside London to be ranked in the top tier of legal individuals in London for Agriculture and Estates. In Chambers Directory PRW has been the only solicitor nationally to be identified as a Star individual. Ebery Williams has decided not to participate in legal directories.