Virginia Agricultural Law

Helping Virginia's Agricultural Community Avoid Legal Pitfalls

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Virginia Agricultural Law

Helping Virginia’s Agricultural Community Avoid Legal Pitfalls

“I could teach anybody — even people in this room, no offense intended — to be a farmer. It’s a process: you dig a hole, you put a seed in, you put dirt on top, add water, up comes the corn.” 

Michael Bloomberg, former New York City mayor

If only it were that easy, right?

As a farmer or rancher, you have your hands full being a mechanic, plumber, electrician, carpenter, welder, veterinarian, chemist, biologist, agronomist, and any other number of roles it takes to run a successful agricultural operation. On top of all that, legal requirements permeate the agricultural industry. Let me take your legal worries off your plate–you focus on your operations; I’ll focus on your legal concerns.

Whether it’s forming your corporation, LLC, or Virginia Business Trust; negotiating and drafting contracts, employment agreements, leases and sales agreements; preparing for the next generation through succession planning and estate planning, etc., I serve the legal needs of the agricultural community throughout Virginia.

Service Delivery

Virtual Consultations

For more basic matters, or once we have an established working relationship, a lot of our work can be done using technology in place of face-to-face meetings. Fighting traffic and orbiting the block to find a suitable parking spot to meet with your lawyer is a thing of the past.

On-Site Visits

For bigger projects or while developing a long-term relationship, nothing is better than getting a grounds-eye view of what’s going on and understanding the context for the challenges you’re facing. I’m available to meet anywhere in Virginia to provide you the legal assistance you need.

Circuit riding Legal Clinics

Unfortunately, many members of the agricultural community with legal needs live in rural areas that are underserved by the legal community. By making regular visits to these areas, I’m able to provide premier legal services without the cost of maintaining multiple brick-and-mortar offices.

 

Fee Structures

FLAT RATE FEES

Some cases, usually transactional matters, are quite predictable. Whether it’s a simple power of attorney or a more complicated business entity formation or estate planning package, you’ll know the cost of each engagement or project in advance and will be able to budget accordingly. 

HOURLY RATE FEES

Other cases, generally involving litigation or extended negotiations, are more difficult to cost out. While my goal is to resolve your issues as effectively and efficiently as possible, I can’t control the other side. In these cases I’ll charge a retainer to bill against, and you’ll replenish the retainer as the case moves forward.

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES

Major infections can come from small wounds. Because of the hassle that going to the doctor over a “small cut” entails, we tend to avoid the trip until the problem becomes much worse and we find ourselves in an emergency situation. Legal problems are much the same way: nipped in the bud, they remain manageable. Neglected, they only grow and get worse. For a modest setup fee then a flat fee of $150 per month, my subscribers have unlimited phone and email access to me to get the advice and counsel they need as soon as issues crop up.