Ag law firm opens in Ottawa

By Brandy Harrison

OTTAWA — Striking out to start his own farm law practice, Kurtis Andrews has the farm cred to know the ins and outs of the field and barn that downtown lawyers often just don’t get.

“If a farmer goes to a big city lawyer, he has to spend a great deal of time trying to get that lawyer to understand the ag aspect of the issue. I have the advantage of understanding immediately,” says the Ottawa lawyer, who started his own agricultural practice last month.

Andrews remembers one case that hinged on understanding the complexities of the quota system and though he had less experience in family law than the Toronto lawyer, his frontline ag education, growing up on a farm market operation near Milton, won the day.

Before he was called to the bar in 2010, Andrews articled at a firm specializing in agriculture, under Ottawa lawyer Don Good, and stayed on until Good sold the practice in 2013.

With agriculture facing a growing barrage of regulations, demand could be steady, he says.
“More and more, farmers need legal advice to navigate through those regulations,” says Andrews, who has experience with animal welfare cases, environmental issues, agriculture tribunals, and bylaws that restrict farming practices, and plans to expand to farm mediation work around succession.

Contact Andrews at 613-565-FARM or kurtis@kurtisandrews.ca.