Barclays are the joint main event sponsors for our 2011 conference together with Terra Firma Chambers.

James Osborne
James Osborne is a private Banker with substantial investment experience. James qualified in Scots Law (University of Aberdeen) and is familiar with Capital Taxes and Estate Planning. James is developing and taking to market in Scotland Barclays agricultural finance proposition. He holds regional responsibility for graduate recruitment, assessment, integration and mentoring.

Nial Gemmell

Nial has been a banker for his entire working career and has enjoyed a wide range of roles within the finance industry.  He has had a number of positions during this time, including managing customer relationships and working in specialist areas such as legal and credit.  Over the last twelve years Nial has built up experience of sourcing, structuring and delivering complex debt and equity solutions for a range of infrastructure projects, across a variety of sectors.   Nial joined Barclays in January 2007 with a primary focus on developing the bank’s project and infrastructure finance offering in Scotland.  Nial leads a team in Scotland and looks after a portfolio of 14 project finance assets across a range of sectors including transport, health, education and renewable energy. 

Ian Baker

Ian Baker, Relationship Director and Agriculture Specialist in Finance and Agriculture is delivering the key address under the Finance and Economic Development theme on Day 1 of our 2011 conference.

Terra Firma Chambers is a top ranked chambers specialising in property, planning, commercial and administrative law, with many of their members receiving one or more recommendations in the Legal 500 and Chambers UK law directories. Terra Firma Chambers planning, agriculture and crofting practices features leading practitioners in these subjects.

Building on strong links with the University of Aberdeen, School of Law, Stronachs are the sponsors of our 2011 conference wine reception. Agricultural Law specialist Hamish Lean is one of our speakers under the Agriculture and Forestry theme on day 1 of the event.

Keith Aitken will chair our 2011 conference on Sustainable Rural Development. He is an award-winning journalist, and an author and broadcaster. His career began with more than 15 years’ service on The Scotsman in senior editorial roles, including parliamentary correspondent, labour correspondent, industrial editor, economics editor and chief leader-writer. Since launching his successful freelance business in 1995, Keith has written for numerous UK and overseas publications, and been a regular columnist for The Scotsman, The Herald, Scotland on Sunday, and Holyrood Magazine. He is known to radio listeners as presenter of such long-running programmes as BBC Scotland’s Head Lines and Newsweek Scotland, and has presented many discussion series and documentaries for BBC Scotland, Radio Four and the BBC World Service. In recent years, the fastest-growing part of his business has been as an accomplished chair of all types of conferences and audience events. Keith is a visiting lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University. For more information please visit here

Anderson Strathern is an award-winning, full service law firm who strive to create innovative solutions to complex problems. This innovative thinking gained Anderson Strathern a ‘highly commended’ ranking in the prestigious Financial Times Innovative Lawyers report 2010.  Our all-rounded approach means you will have access to the highest number of Law Society of Scotland accredited specialists of any law firm in Scotland across the full range of areas that may affect you, your family and your business.  Drawing on expertise from several departments in our full service law firm, our team is among the largest of its kind in any legal firm in Scotland. We are uniquely placed to fully serve all the needs of the Rural Business and Property sectors.

Anderson Strathern are sponsoring the teas and coffees over the the two day Rural Law Conference 2011 at which Mr Jim Drysdale, partner, will be speaking on Funding and Economic Development.

Jim Drysdale

Jim is a partner in our Land Resources and Private Client departments.

He is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in agricultural law and holds a Certificate in Environmental Law from Glasgow University. He is a Trustee of several family trusts and through them is involved in various family businesses.

Jim deals in all aspects of Agricultural and Rural law, including business structures, purchases, sales, leasing, forestry, salmon fisheries and sportings, land use and management including diversification, development and minerals, renewable energy, wind and hydro, and coalbed methane gas.