This practical guide is an introduction to crofting law for those with
an interest in it or who may touch upon it, whether that is lawyers, law
students, land agents, crofters, landlords, or anyone else with an
interest in it. It covers the main issues briefly and concisely, aiming
to highlight the complexity of crofting law and the pitfalls and traps
that await the uninitiated. The aim is that readers will, as a result,
be better versed in the basics of crofting law.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brian Inkster is a solicitor specialising in crofting law.
He is the Hon Secretary of the Crofting Law Group, a member of the
Crofting Group of Scottish Land & Estates, the Cross-Party Group on
Crofting at the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Government Crofting
Stakeholder Forum, the Crofting Register Stakeholder Forum and the
Scottish Government Crofting Bill Group.
Brian blogs about crofting law at the Crofting Law Blog
(croftinglawblog.com) and regularly writes articles for The Crofter (the
trade magazine of the Scottish Crofting Federation). He also provides
comment and articles to local and national newspapers and magazines such
as The West Highland Free Press, The Shetland Times, The Oban Times, The
Northern Times, The Scotsman, The Herald, The Press & Journal, The
Scottish Farmer, Scottish Legal News and The Journal of the Law Society
of Scotland.
Brian also gives talks on crofting law to universities and at
conferences, workshops and seminars. He has provided detailed
submissions to the Scottish Government on proposed crofting law reform.
Brian has been interviewed about crofting law on BBC Alba, BBC Reporting
Scotland and Sunday Politics Scotland. He has also been interviewed
about crofting law on local and national Scottish radio news programmes.
Brian was born and brought up in Shetland. He is the son of a fisherman
rather than a crofter. He studied law at the University of Edinburgh
before moving to Glasgow in 1991 to undertake his legal traineeship.
Following conclusion of his traineeship Brian continued to practice law
in Glasgow where he founded his own law firm, Inksters, in 1999.
Inksters now also have offices in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Forfar,
Inverness, Lerwick, Portree, Thurso and Wick.
Inksters provide a free legal advice helpline on crofting law to members
of the Scottish Crofting Federation. Brian provides tutoring on
Acquiring and Evaluating a Croft / Crofting Law Basics to the Access to
Crofting Toolkit Course run by the Scottish Crofting Federation.
Brian also has a speciality in the law of servitudes (easements) having
acted for the pursuers in Moncrieff v Jamieson. This case was ultimately
decided in the House of Lords and has been described by Professor Roddy
Paisley as "one of the most important cases on servitudes in the last
100 years". It established for the first time in law that, in certain
circumstances, you can have a servitude right to park a car ancillary to
a right of access.
Brian obtained the distinction of being named Solicitor of the Year at
the Law Awards of Scotland in 2006. He was called "a one man Scottish
legal institution" in the Recommended Law Firm Guide 2010. At the Law
Awards of Scotland in 2014 he was recognised as Managing Partner of the
Year.
Brian has an active interest in entrepreneurship, marketing, technology
and corporate social responsibility in relation to running a law firm.
He is often asked to speak on these topics at conferences, summits and
retreats.
