Law society plans on family farm transfer ‘staggering’, says Comer

The Law Society of Ireland’s proposal to prohibit a solicitor from representing both sides in the transfer of a family farm has come in for criticism from the ICMSA.

ICMSA president John Comer, has described as “staggering” a proposal from the Incorporated Law Society that would require families to engage two solicitors in a farm transfer from one generation to the next. He said this would see the next farming generation’s legal costs jump from around €4,000 up to €8,000 overnight.

Mr Comer said: “Not alone is this a completely unwarranted and unnecessary move that will potentially double the already substantial fees around transferring farms within the family, it will also — ironically — attack the historically high levels of trust and esteem with which farm families have regarded their family solicitor.