Menu Search Here

Commercial Property & Agriculture

Rutherfords are very experienced in all commercial property matters and can offer expert advice for all types of premises including offices, warehouses, factories, retail outlets, restaurants, dentists, care homes, hotels and pubs and the healthcare sector. We also offer agricultural legal services.

Rutherfords Commercial department is headed up by Claire Poulton. She is assisted by Daniella Tarbuck (Consultant Solicitor), and David Sketchley (Consultant Solicitor).

Areas of specialism:

  • Investment property
    • for both business and private individuals
    • purchasers or sellers
    • banks in the purchase or sale or mortgage of industrial or commercial, mixed use, residential or property portfolios
    • Landlord support services following acquisition including:
      • breaches of lease covenant
      • rent arrears
      • lease determinations
    • Property development
      • Site acquisitions
      • Property disposals
      • Site assemble
      • Option agreements
      • Overage agreements
      • Promotion agreements
    • Landlord and Tenant
      • Leases (including renewal, assignments and sublettings)
      • Licences and Deeds
      • Breaches of covenant
      • Service of notices/schedules of dilapidations
      • Rent arrears
    • Lenders Security
      • Acting for banks and other financial institutions in respect to property based lending
    • Other commercial matters
      • Adverse Possession Claims
      • Access and rights of way
      • Common land
      • Deeds of easement
      • Party walls
      • Telecommunications mast leases
      • CPO compensation claims
      • Other property compensation claims

For advice and assistance please contact us on 01827 311411 or complete our enquiry form.

Meet the Team

Claire Poulton
Partner

Claire Poulton
David Sketchly
Consultant Solicitor

David Sketchley
Daniella Tarbuck
Consultant Solicitor

Daniella Tarbuck

Jason King
Legal Secretary

Ciara Smith
Denise Lorton
Legal Secretary

Denise Lorton
Solicitor

Lauren Henderson
Legal Secretary

Joanne Brotherhood
Claire Poulton

Partner

Claire Poulton

Head of Corporate and Commercial

Claire joined Rutherfords in September 2006 shortly after completing her Law Degree. Claire began work at Rutherfords as a paralegal, gaining experience in a variety of commercial and property transactions. 

Claire qualified as a solicitor in June 2010 and was made partner in January 2013. 

Claire has had the benefit of working in a variety of areas of law and is therefore able to apply this breadth of knowledge to all her work including drafting of commercial contracts, including debentures, bespoke internet agreements, standard terms and conditions of business and privacy policies; residential conveyancing transactions; share sales and purchases; data protection issues; commercial, company and contractual disputes; boundary disputes and Land Registry Adjudication matters.

Claire adopts a professional, warm and friendly approach which is welcomed by business and private clients alike.

David Sketchly

Consultant Solicitor

David Sketchley

David is a Consultant Solicitor specialising in Commercial and Agricultural property and development work and related matters including partnership, Wills and successor advice.

David trained with Rutherfords, becoming a partner and then Managing partner before leaving to establish his own practice, Sketchley & Co, to allow him to concentrate on development and agricultural work.

Sketchley & Co merged with Dewes & Son, a long established Tamworth firm, with the two practices becoming Dewes Sketchley and later Dewes LLP. David continued as Managing partner. The practice was eventually sold to Fishers of Ashby with David working as a consultant.

David wanted to return to his roots and has now come full circle to where he started and we welcome him back to the fold as a Consultant with us.

David has many years’ experience and has acted for numerous property developers and farmers on all aspects of their work from original site development, farm acquisition and sales, partnership creation and disputes and commercial lease work for both Landlords and Tenants as well as their private client work. Other work includes acting on multiple farm sales involving PLC’s, the Crown and private owners. He has also advised partnership and company reorganisations primarily for the farming community together with wills and succession planning.

David has also negotiated deals with several major house builders including Persimmon, Bellway and Taylor Wimpey involving options, promotion agreements and conditional contracts, on schemes varying from 10 to 600 plus houses.

Daniella Tarbuck

Consultant Solicitor

Daniella Tarbuck

Daniella is a Consultant Solicitor who has many years’ experience dealing with business owners mainly in the SME market as she enjoys the ‘hands on’ approach required when working alongside business owners and directors as part of their legal team. Having worked in commerce before her legal career, she adopts a practical and commercial view of transactional work and works hard to find a straightforward resolution for her clients.

Daniella was educated at Queen Mary’s High School for Girls and The University of Birmingham and trained at the Wilkes Partnership in Birmingham, following a period of working for Wragge & Co immediately after qualification.

She now enjoys working with the Rutherfords team to assist corporate and commercial clients achieve the best outcome they can from their transactions and has a particular interest in fast turnaround commercial bridging finance.

Jason King

Jason joined Rutherfords LLP in 2020 as part of the expansion of the Commercial Team.

Jason obtained Distinction when undertaking the LPC at Nottingham Law School, having already obtained a grade 2:1 Law Degree. Having completed his training contract at a law firm in Warwickshire, he qualified as a solicitor in early 2017. Jason has benefitted from working in various areas of Commercial and Property law, with the ability to assist clients in a variety of different matters

Legal Secretary

Ciara Smith

Ciara joined Rutherfords LLP in 2019 under an Apprenticeship scheme.

Ciara has completed her diploma in Business Administration and is currently studying a paralegal qualification in residential conveyancing.

Ciara is working as a legal secretary in the Commercial Department.

Denise Lorton

Legal Secretary

Denise Lorton

Denise is an experienced legal secretary who joined the firm in 2023.

Denise provides support to the Commercial Department.

Solicitor

Lauren Henderson

Lauren is a solicitor working in the Corporate and Commercial Department. Lauren has recently re-joined Rutherfords LLP after originally completing her training in 2020 and also has experience in residential conveyancing.

Lauren has a first class honours degree and a commendation for the Legal Practice Course qualifying as a solicitor.

Legal Secretary

Joanne Brotherhood

Joanne is an experienced legal secretary who joined the firm in 2024.

Joanne provides support to the Commercial Department.

Request a call back below

    Your Name (required)


    Your Number (required)


    Your Email (required)

    Your Query

    Contact us on: 01827 311 411 or [email protected]