I am the head of our Agricultural & Rural Property team, specialising in the sale and purchase of farms, estates and country houses, having extensive experience in this field. I also advise clients on a wide range of issues affecting rural property, including tenancies, secured lending, sporting interests, equestrian property and renewable energy.
I act for farmers and other rural property owners, pension trustees, banks and overseas clients. I am on the Lexis Nexis steering group for agriculture, which is charged with guiding Lexis Nexis on the provision of legal advice to practitioners.
I am a Recommended Lawyer in the Legal 500 2022 guide and am ranked in Band 1 in the Chambers UK Guide 2022.
"He is very good with clients in terms of giving explanations clearly, explaining risks well and giving straightforward advice." - Client
Areas of Expertise
What others say
‘Marcus Thorpe leads the team and has instilled an ethos of client care and efficiency. Marcus completed a transaction with 24 hours to spare on what was already a very tight timescale. First class.’
‘Marcus Thorpe is one of the very few land and estate lawyers who actually visits the property and gets their boots dirty. I am convinced that this is one of the major contributory factors to his team’s efficiency. In addition it is perfectly normal to receive a telephone call from Marcus at 6:30 am or 9.30 pm, such is his dedication to exceeding expectations. This professionalism coupled with superb client bedside manner and an ability to cut through minutiae and provide pragmatic advice is what makes Marcus Thorpe a cut above the rest.’
I am ranked Band 1 in Chambers 2020 (the Legal Directory) and receive praise for my understanding of the issues faced by the owners of rural estates. A source quoted there says :
“He’s very good, very pragmatic and takes a commercial view of things.” and another said “He is fantastic and has a very good reputation with clients as well as estate agents.”
Legal 500 also ranks the Agricultural and Rural Property Team in Band 1, in particular recommending me for my “good general rural knowledge”.
“Thanks again for getting our exchange done in just over two weeks. It was definitely the right decision to use you as a local firm as it meant you knew all the nuances of buying a country house.” – Mr Brown
Away from the office
I live with my wife and two children near Shaftesbury and enjoy wood carving, mosaics (in fact, pretty much all crafts), trawling auction houses for bargains and crayfish trapping! I am closely involved with the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution and provide legal advice to Riding for the Disabled (Wiltshire).
