"He really is a fantastic advocate and you always know the client will be totally taken care of with him."
Chambers UK 2021
William is an agricultural and rural property barrister who advises and acts for landlords and tenants of farms who are in dispute and farmers with claims to ownership of land or issues about land use or regulation and arbitrators appointed to resolve such disputes by arbitration.
William's property expertise is centered on agricultural and rural property litigation including:
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Band 1
A highly regarded practitioner with a focus on rural and agricultural tenancy disputes. He acts for farmers and landowners and attracts praise for his ability to work closely with his clients and to provide clear advice. He also sits as an arbitrator in a range of rural property and farming partnership disputes.
Strengths: "He really is a fantastic advocate and you always know the client will be totally taken care of with him." "He has an understanding of some very niche areas of agricultural legislation and has immense experience."
Property and Construction
‘Very user friendly. Thorough. Well respected.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Agriculture
‘Unflappable, responsive, and exceptionally knowledgeable in the field of agricultural tenancies. His advocacy style is thorough and measured - he avoids grandstanding or overly dramatic oral submissions.’
Ranked: Tier 1
Agricultural & Rural Affairs
A highly regarded practitioner with a focus on rural and agricultural tenancy disputes. He acts for farmers and landowners and attracts praise for his ability to work closely with his clients and to provide clear advice.
Strengths: "He's an excellent advocate and provides excellent advice." "He is exceptional with clients, his written advice is very clear and he is an impressive advocate." "He is able to take a commercial view throughout a case."
Property
"An impressive advocate who provides clear advice."
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
A highly regarded practitioner with a focus on rural and agricultural tenancy disputes. He acts for farmers and landowners.
"He has a very calm, considered and persuasive manner in court and his written work is thorough, well thought out and logical." "He always acts promptly and provides clear and considered advice. He is always a pleasure to instruct and work with."
Property
‘Very experienced in farming landlord and tenant disputes.’
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Leading Junior - Band 1
A notable rural property specialist who regularly acts for landowners and tenants. He is particularly well regarded for his in-depth knowledge of agricultural tenancy issues.
Strengths: "He's a very experienced, very thorough barrister - he's exceptional on paper, very clear and concise, and exceptionally good in person with clients." "He's excellent on his feet."
Property
Leading juniors
‘He demonstrates brilliant client rapport.’
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Leading Junior - Band 1
A highly regarded barrister with a broad agricultural and rural property practice. He is noted for his expertise in agricultural tenancy disputes.
Strengths: "He really is an expert in the field of agricultural tenancies - his knowledge and experience are unrivalled. His advice is always produced promptly and it is clear and easy to follow. He is also very easy to work with and approachable."
Property
Leading juniors
'One of the foremost authorities on agricultural tenancies.'
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Leading Junior - Band 1
William Batstone is a heavyweight figure with experience of handling a wide range of agricultural and rural property disputes. His expertise covers proprietary estoppel claims, landlord and tenant disputes and rights of way. He has previously been appointed a Deputy District Judge.
Strengths: "He is the go-to lawyer for landlord and tenant work. His knowledge is unrivalled, he is very user-friendly and turns work around incredibly fast." "He is a genuine expert - very experienced and thorough in everything he does - and gives a balance opinion."
Property
Leading juniors
'A very knowledgeable, wise and measured adviser with real authority'.
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Leading Junior - Band 1
Agricultural expert who advises farmers, landowners and arbitrators on rural property and tenancy disputes. He has considerable experience of litigation arising under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 and also assists with land use regulation, sporting rights and access issues. He previously worked as a solicitor.
Expertise: "He gives first-rate advice on option agreements and agricultural tenancies." "He is always comprehensive in his advice and has a good grasp of the commercial reality of the situation."
Property
Leading Juniors
Acts for landowners and farmers in agricultural and property disputes'.
Is regularly instructed on behalf of landowners, farmers, and arbitrators in connection with both agricultural and rural property litigation. He is a vastly experienced practitioner who also practised as a solicitor for six years.
Expertise: "He is enormously experienced in pure agricultural work."
William Batstone is a rural property expert who is considered to be "extremely knowledgeable but also very approachable and down-to-earth." He frequently advises clients on a range of matters, including disputes under the Agricultural Holdings Act (1986) and Agricultural Tenancies Act (1995), farming partnership conflicts, and farming-related professional negligence claims.
William Batstone's forte lies in chancery and rural property issues. He frequently acts for landowners and tenants.
William Batstone of Guildhall Chambers is praised for his in-depth knowledge of the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 and village greens law. Leading solicitors consider him to be "pleasant to work with, intellectually commanding and a match for any other barrister in the discipline."
William Batstone of Guildhall Chambers is extremely highly regarded in the region. As an ex-Burges Salmon solicitor, he remains a popular choice for instructing solicitors, who appreciate his experience and depth of knowledge. He is best known for his advice to landowners and farmers in the resolution of agricultural and rural property disputes, and he continues to handle a busy case load in this area. Sources commend his "straightforward and down-to-earth approach."
Ex-Burges Salmon solicitor William Batstone is a leading junior in the region. Widely recognised and very much acclaimed by his peers, he comes with strong recommendations and commentators say that they "can't sing his praises enough". His main practice area is the resolution of agricultural and rural property disputes on behalf of landowners and farmers. "He is very succinct, delivers and has huge depth of knowledge", one source comments. He recently acted for a Devon landowner who was successful in securing the revocation of a stop notice served on him by Natural England, in relation to the carrying out of drainage works on 19 hectares of land.
William Batstone undertakes a large proportion of agricultural work involving disputes relating to the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 and the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995. His remarkable courtroom manner has led to a consensus amongst sources that, "Bristol is very lucky to have him - he is very good".
For further information and enquiries please contact:
Property & Estates: Joe Stayte or Stephen Arnold
