The ‘Pink Book’, Burges Salmon’s famous legal 'bible' for landowners and farmers, is now available online for wide industry access.

The detailed reference guide covers topics as diverse as buying, selling and developing farmland, estate planning, trusts and partnerships, planning and employment law.

"When we first launched the Pink Book in 2011, it was in response to a real need for a reference book of this type. The complexity of issues such as family partnerships and tax planning can be daunting and the Pink Book aims to provide a comprehensive reference guide," explains Partner, Tom Hewitt, head of the Burges Salmon Food, Farming and Land sector group.

“We’ve intentionally written the content without legalese or jargon, the book aims to give businesses a thorough understanding of current law as applied to farming, land management and related issues,” Tom Hewitt adds. “Our clients and the wider industry say that the content is a really practical reference source and valuable for clarification on specific points of law.”

Amongst the topics there is guidance on contracts, brand protection, tenancies and food law.

"By giving landowners access to this information they will have a better appreciation of the risks and how to avoid them. The book is not intended to replace legal advice, but to give an indication of when legal expertise or representation would be prudent or necessary."

Each chapter contains a series of articles with worked examples, case studies and tabulated data to illustrate the topics under discussion. This includes what procedures have to be followed in dealing with issues such as planning, employment and risk management.

The ‘Pink Book’ was substantially updated in 2014 and the online migration is the next stage in its development.

The digital Pink Book is now available to download from the Burges Salmon website. Go to www.burges-salmon.com/pink_book_2 and follow the Pink Book links.