Divorce in a farming situation brings significant challenges. It's not just the house, its the business too. Aside from the fact many have been in the same family for generations.  

 

The structure of ownership of farms are far from straight forward.  Farms are frequently set up as partnerships with multiple generations of family members involved. Often different businesses might be run from the farm as part of its diversification, but each owned by a different member of the family.

 

Due to the nature of farming they are capital intensive and can't operate without either the land or the machinery, at times the land is either not owned by the divorcing parties, or if it is, then entirely inherited, which of its self may mean that the law will treat that differently than assets created by the parties joint efforts.  Without the farm as a whole, there is rarely a viable farm.

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John has represented many Farmers over the years, but a special interest and empathy in farming cases came about not least because John shares his time between practising law and farming.