For the past few years, the NFU LAS (Legal Assistance Scheme) has included a temporary offer of financial contributions towards the cost of the below member services delivered by our Legal Panel Firms.
The NFU Legal Board is pleased to announce that these offers have been extended indefinitely and have now become a permanent additional member benefit for LAS subscribers.
“We encourage members to take up this service so that they can understand their contractual position from the outset and avoid a lot of heartache later. As the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure”.”
NFU Legal Board chair Nick Hamer
About the services
NFU Contract Checking Service
The NFU Contract Checking Service is there to help you understand exactly what you’re signing.
We all know contracts can be complex and can often be written in language that can puzzle and confuse us.
A major cause of legal disputes for farmers and growers is disagreement, and in some cases, misunderstanding over contract terms.
Seeking early advice before signing on the dotted line could protect you from potentially costly, lengthy, and stressful legal disputes in the future.
That’s why the NFU in conjunction with its Legal Panel Firms, is delighted to offer a Contract Checking Service to NFU Farmer & Grower members.
The Legal Panel Firms can undertake the work on your behalf, at an exclusive preferential rate for NFU members, by offering their independent professional advice to ensure you understand your rights and obligations and are satisfied that your aims and objectives are met before you sign the contract.
For more information visit: NFU Contract Checking Service | NFUonline
NFU Legal Health Check Service
The NFU in conjunction with its Legal Panel Firms also offers NFU Farmer & Grower members an entirely free initial Legal Health Check in relation to their farming or growing businesses.
This service aims to help identify and highlight any potential issues, legal gaps or other matters members might want to address to help secure their farming, growing or diversification businesses.
It covers matters such as wills, succession planning, reviewing business structures such as partnerships, registering land, lasting powers of attorney etc.
Strengthening your business
The Legal Health Check can also significantly help underpin business resilience.
During the current unprecedented changing times with the implementation of the Agricultural Transition Plan, Environmental Land Management Scheme, Environmental Markets, Lump Sum Payments to name a few, this Legal Health Check can assist in many ways.
Should any work be identified and subsequently commissioned, then that piece of work will be carried out at the firm’s standard hourly rates (with a 12.5% NFU discount applied).
Alternatively, it may be possible to agree a fixed fee directly with the firm before any work is done.
For more information visit: NFU Legal Health Check Service | NFUonline
Prevention better than cure
NFU Legal Board chair Nick Hamer stressed the importance of taking steps to protect your business. He said:
“The Contract Checking Service aims to provide members the opportunity to get that early help and avoid later problems which could cost tens of thousands of pounds in legal and other professional fees.
Above: NFU Legal Board chair Nick Hamer
“The number of contractual disputes supported by the LAS has substantially increased in recent years. We therefore encourage members to take up this service so that they can understand their contractual position from the outset and avoid a lot of heartache later.
“As the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure”.”
