Dear Stephen,  I am in a relationship for a number of years with my partner but we never married. We bought a house together near where we are both from with some farmland attached, which we lease.

Farming legal advice - The duties expected of an executor

Stephen recommends approaching your neighbour first if you think their construction work is making an unreasonable amount of noise, and see if matters can be resolved amicably, before resorting to the courts.

Stephen recommends engaging a solicitor before initiating any separation or divorce proceedings even if things seem amicable.

Farm Legal Advice

Dear Stephen, I am a dairy farmer. I have a herd of around 50 cattle. I have to move them occasionally over a fairly quiet public road from one of the fields back to the farmyard.

A tree surgeon could confirm if the tree was rotting or damaged and if it was, you possibly have a case against your neighbour for the damage and loss to your property

He had agreed that he would pay me back fully in two years and that he was expecting business to pick up, but never did.

Dear Karen,  I am looking to buy some land to expand my dairy farm either this year or next year. I have land that was gifted to me by my father last year but hoping to expand on that.

Liability was denied at the hearing, but the claim was settled for €400,000.

The process is less onerous for individuals over the age of 18 years

There is some work to do, but your solicitor can assist you and you would need to engage with your bank as soon as possible

Divorce does not automatically mean the spouse is entitled to half of the farm. The law in Ireland is that the court must ensure proper provision is made for both parties and children

It very much depends on a wide variety of factors, such as family circumstances, whether there is a child farming and the tax implications

Legal obligations vary depending on the number of people you employ

Before a Capacity Application is made, the applicant must make sure all steps have been taken to provide the relevant person with the support they need.

A family that ran up debts after falling foul of the milk quota system is having land sold from under them by a vulture fund that bought their debt

Farmers are fearful of proposed EU environment laws, European commissioner for financial stability Mairead McGuinness has said, but they are “crucial” to restore nature.

Legal advice on what happens when relationships break down.

In respect of Judicial Review application, the courts tend to look at the decision-making process and whether proper procedures were followed when coming to a decision.

The IFA has lobbied to have Prenuptial Agreements recognised in Irish law in order to protect a family farm from being sold off or divided in the event of a marriage breakdown

Dear Karen,  I have been approached by a developer, and they are interested in placing a solar farm on my land, along with some neighbouring landowners.

Dear Stephen,I own a farm, which I am in the process of selling as I wish to retire and move abroad to sunnier climates.   I never married and have no children or family relatives that helped on the farm.

Our son has a gambling addiction; we want to provide for him in our will but are worried he will gamble it all away.

He has erected pillars on either side of the entry point of the laneway and erected a locked gate preventing us from using it. What should I do?