Two solicitors qualify into Muckle's fast growing agriculture team
Two Newcastle-based lawyers who took very different routes into the profession have qualified as solicitors into our fast-growing agriculture, estates and rural property team.
Anna Douglas has qualified at the end of her six-year solicitor apprenticeship and philosophy graduate Cameron Horton has completed his two-year training contract, both taking up positions in the firm’s specialist team.
Nationally renowned rural property expert David Towns joined Muckle in March 2018 to establish and lead the agriculture, estates and rural property team, since when it has gone from strength to strength.
'Muddy boots' approach
Over the last six years, David has spearheaded the team's consistent growth, recording consecutive double-digit year-on-year growth.
Ranked Tier 4 in the Legal 500 in 2021, the team is now ranked Tier 2 in the 2025 publication, recognising its solid position in the local and national market.
David and the team continue to drive further growth through their approachable ‘muddy boots’ and no-nonsense attitude, alongside exceptional service for clients.
Different routes
Anna Douglas joined Muckle through the North-East Solicitors’ Apprenticeship programme in 2022 as an apprentice solicitor straight after completing her A levels at Emmanuel College sixth form.
With experience in commercial, real estate and dispute resolution as part of her apprenticeship training, Anna has combined work with her studies, completing her final year of a law degree at City University, London.
Her work at Muckle LLP includes helping with rural residential purchases and sales, landed estate management, rural commercial leasing, energy projects and dealing with Land Registry applications.
Originally from Manchester, Cameron Horton studied for a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at Durham University before taking the Graduate Diploma at the University of Law in Manchester.
At Muckle, Cameron advises on rural property development work, sales and purchases of farms and estates, land registration, minerals transactions and landed estate management work. He also has experience in the banking, real estate and dispute resolution teams.
Cameron said: "I felt Muckle had a lot of personality, a vibrant culture and emphasis on building long-lasting relationships with clients, and it ticked a lot of boxes for me. In the agriculture team, I feel like I can be myself while delivering a high level of complex work, and I couldn’t be happier.
“"It's fantastic to gain hands-on experience while training, and I’m excited about building long-term relationships with clients as I look forward to furthering my career. The support from the whole team is amazing, and I really feel like everyone has my back. Likewise, our clients are really down to earth, many of them long-standing family businesses, and it’s nice to spend time outdoors and know you’re helping them out."
Anna said: "I’m so happy to qualify as a solicitor in the Agriculture and Estates team, and I’ll be continuing to take it all in and soak up all the vast experience the team has while working on my own files and being given added responsibility.
"The support of colleagues has been wonderful throughout my apprenticeship – it really is a fabulous team and I’m looking forward to working with them all and our amazing clients in the future."
Exponential growth
David Towns, Partner and Head of Agriculture, Estates and Rural Property, said: "I am delighted that Cam and Anna have accepted full-time roles with us.
"They are exceptional lawyers who really buy into our ‘muddy boots’ approach, and its satisfying to be able to take on this home-grown talent. I’m proud of them both for their dedication and hard work and it has clearly paid off.
"Our team has seen exponential growth since it was started in March 2018, creating opportunities for a large team of people to grow and develop careers in this niche area of law. My aim is to continue that trend so we can offer more opportunities to other talented young lawyers in this field."
Read more about the agriculture team and its clients.