Everys Solicitors has welcomed animal welfare, countryside sports and meat industry law specialist Jamie Foster to the firm.
Solicitor-Advocate Mr Foster is the UK’s leading legal expert in animal welfare and countryside sports defence cases while also specialising in trading standards, health & safety and environmental investigations, and regulation of the meat trade, including the halal meat industry.
He joins Everys from Clarke Willmott to team up with the firm’s managing partner James Griffin to form a specialist agricultural, rural and countryside sports department that will be known as Foster & Griffin.
Hunting Act and firearms law expert Mr Griffin said: “Jamie and I often used to face each other in court over cases involving the rural community. He was a tough opponent and one I respect enormously.
“This partnership will strengthen Everys’ expertise in an already established agricultural and rural affairs team. By working together, we will be able to wholeheartedly dedicate ourselves to this specialist arm of the law to make sure we gain the best results for our clients.”
Father-of-two Mr Foster trained in London and worked on a number of high profile crime cases, including the second Damilola Taylor trial, before moving into regulatory law and re-locating to the South West.
Seven years ago, Mr Foster became the Countryside Alliance’s solicitor and since then has attended 80 per cent of Hunting Act cases across the UK. He co-wrote Law of Field Sports in 2010; the first book on the Game Act 1831 for the best part of a century.
Mr Foster has also worked with 65 per cent of the UK’s abattoirs to guide them through what is a highly regulated area of the meat industry.
“James and I have always been good friends,” said Mr Foster. “I have always wanted to work with him if I could. This opportunity arose and will enable us to give farmers, landowners, people that work with animals or participate in countryside sports a place where they know they can come and people will understand their legal needs in a welcoming environment.”
He added: “I have seen a series of law firms set up agricultural law departments in an attempt to be all things to all men but as they become large commercial entities, they have moved away from agriculture.
“Agriculture is a particular area of the law that requires people who have their heart in the countryside. We are a rurally-based, rural-focused law firm that is not distracted by the need to tender for high value commercial law contracts.”
Mr Foster will be based at Everys’ Honiton branch but will serve the needs of clients across the UK and overseas.
