Legal Advice

The agricultural lease builder resources are for educational purposes and are not legal advice.

Call a local law school clinic related to food or farming. Law schools that have clinical programs dedicated to food or farming can be a friendly source of referrals to local or national farmer-friendly attorneys. Check out the Food and Farm Business Law Clinic at the Haub School of Law (formerly Pace University), and the Penn State Law Center for Agricultural and Shale Law.

Once you create your draft lease, you'll need to take it to a lawyer for review. Here a few suggestions for finding an experienced lawyer: 

• Ask a farm organization. Farm organizations often know lawyers who frequently work on farm-related issues and can often recommend either the right lawyer for the job or someone to call for a recommendation.

• Call a local law school clinic related to food or farming. Law schools that have clinical programs dedicated to food or farming can be a friendly source of referrals to local or national farmer-friendly attorneys. Check out the Food and Farm Business Law Clinic at the Haub School of Law (formerly Pace University). 

• State bar organizations. Your state’s bar association will often have a website with a directory of lawyers licensed in your state (such as this Maryland State Bar Association directory)