Duncan Sigournay

Duncan Sigournay

Partner
Bath 2 Queen Square Bath BA1 2HQ
Mobile 07775744952

Partner - Head of Agriculture

Duncan heads the Agriculture team at Thrings and is a renowned expert in agricultural property and tenancies.

His work covers the full spectrum of tenancy work, from the preparation of tenancy agreements through to interpreting existing arrangements and handling landlord and tenant disputes. He has acted in many arbitration cases for both landlords and tenants in connection with notices to quit, notices to remedy and rent reviews. He is also very knowledgeable on the subject of succession tenancies, and he has considerable experience in pursuing and opposing such applications before the First-Tier Tribunal.

Duncan is also an experienced agricultural conveyancer and is a Recommended Professional for the Tenant Farmers Association. Before joining Thrings he was Senior Legal Advisor at the CLA and was heavily involved in the Tenancy Reform Industry Group, which led to the introduction of numerous reforms to tenancy legislation. He is a regular speaker in front of other rural professionals as well as being a regular contributor to the farming press on various issues. He currently sits on the CLA‚Äôs Wiltshire Committee. Duncan qualified as a Notary Public in 1997.

Agriculture

Businesses in the agricultural sector need legal advice that comes from a deep understanding and engagement with the industry. In this way, Duncan leads the Agriculture team at Thrings by example. It is one of the largest and most experienced teams of agricultural lawyers in the UK, acting for thousands of businesses across the sector. He leads with his connection to the industry and he supports the team in providing clarity and strategic insight, drawing on a broad range of commercial experience and technical skills.

Duncan's relevant experience includes:
  • acting to secure a succession to a client's father's agricultural tenancy following an exceptionally lengthy and difficult dispute with the landlord
  • acting for an agricultural tenant in opposing a developer landlord who served numerous unsuccessful notices to quit and tribunal applications over a five-year period
  • securing a succession tenancy for a tenant's daughter following extensive and long running succession planning
  • acting on behalf of a number of landlords to secure the recovery of land based on non-agricultural planning permission through arbitration
  • advising various estates on a range of diversification projects such as music festival agreements, sporting leases as well as on solar and hydro energy projects

Accolade 1 Accolade 2

Duncan is personable, considerate and shows real humanity in his approach. He is also very wise and measured in his responses. -