Best Lawyers works with leaders in the legal marketplace to keep our practice area lists current, allowing clients and referring lawyers to more easily locate the precise expertise they are seeking.
View region-specific practice areas by first selecting a country from the drop-down below.
Practice Areas - Australia
Australia
Practice Area Definitions
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Art and Cultural Property Law*
Asset Finance Law
Bet-the-Company Litigation**
Biotechnology Law
Civil Rights Law
Class Action Litigation
Climate Change Law
Commodities Law
Constitutional Law
Criminal Defence
Customs and Excise Law
Debt Capital Markets Law
Defamation and Media Law
Derivatives
Distressed Investing and Debt Trading Practice
DUI / DWI Defense*
Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law*
Employee Benefits Law
Empowerment and Transformation Law*
Energy Law
Equipment Finance Law
Ethics and Professional Responsibility Practice
Financial Institutions
Gaming Law
High Yield Products
Human Rights Law
Information Technology Law
Intellectual Property Law
International Arbitration
Investment Funds
Investment Law
Labour and Employment Law
Land Use and Zoning Law
Leasing Law
Legal Malpractice Litigation
Leisure and Licensing Law
Leveraged Buyouts
Life Sciences Practice
Mining Law
Motor Vehicle Law
Native Title Law
Non-Profit / Charities Law
Offshore
Outsourcing Law
Partnership
Personal Injury Litigation
Planning and Environmental Law
Police
Private Equity Law
Project Finance and Development Practice
Public Finance Law*
Public Law
Retail Law
Retirement Villages and Senior Living Law
Shipping and Maritime Law
Structured Finance Law
Telecommunications Law
Trade and Finance Law
Trade Law
Transportation Law
Travel Law*
* These practice areas are open for nominations but are not yet included in our publications.
** This practice area is not open to public nominations. A lawyer must first be recognized in related fields before they qualify for consideration.
Become a Contributor
Are you recognized by your peers in Best Lawyers?
Contact us to find out how to contribute a practice area definition for your country and area of expertise.
null* Definition
Lawyers who practise in this area need to have broad legal knowledge as well as a keen understanding of the special issues that concern those who work in agricultural and rural businesses.
An agriculture and rural affairs practice can service a wide range of clients ranging from corporations of varying sizes involved in agribusiness, non-government organisations like the National Farmers Federation and its constituent members (such as Australian Dairy Farmers, Australian Livestock Exporters Council, Cotton Australia, GrainGrowers, and so on), and Government Departments like the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.
What does a day in the life of an agriculture and rural affairs lawyer look like? A lawyer in this practice area could be working on the provision of high level advice to Government on trade or biosecurity issues, or acting for a company or individual on the sale or purchase of grazing and farming properties (including contract negotiation, due diligence, and contract preparation), advice about water entitlements; compensation for the compulsory acquisition of land or entitlements; advice about the import or export of agricultural products; and advice about various forms of land tenures, including native title.
Dealing with Government is a big part of legal practice in this area. This can involve assisting clients with obtaining approvals to export agricultural produce, assisting with obtaining Foreign Investment Review Board approval of sales and purchases, and obtaining other regulatory approvals.
There is a significant cross-over between this area of practice and environmental and planning law. Lawyers practising in this area can provide assistance with land and vegetation clearing laws, advice about the environmental approvals and licences that may be required to establish a particular kind of agricultural industry, and even dealing with actions taken by Government authorities to control noxious weeds and other environmental pests.
