Agricultural Law & Rural Business Lawyers Townsville, Mount Isa & North Queensland
Guiding rural and agricultural businesses with clarity, expertise, and care.
Supporting Regional Landholders with Practical Legal Advice
North Queensland’s agricultural landscape is as diverse as the people who work it. From family-run cane farms and cattle stations, to multi-generational horticultural businesses, agri-exporters, and landholders managing leases, water access, and rural succession planning.
At Cohen Legal, we understand the intersection between land, business, family, and community. Based in Townsville and Mount Isa, servicing clients across Charters Towers, Ingham and beyond, we work with primary producers and agribusinesses to provide legal clarity, resolve disputes, and protect rural interests.
Whether you’re renegotiating a lease, resolving a boundary or fencing issue, navigating water use compliance, or planning for succession, we offer the legal support that helps keep your operations moving forward.
Why Agricultural Law Requires a Regional Lens
Agriculture is at the heart of North Queensland, and rural businesses face legal challenges that are unique to the land, the climate, and the industry.
Unlike urban businesses, rural clients face added complexity with land tenure, biosecurity, climate resilience, shifting regulations, and high-value assets often held across generations.
We’ve seen firsthand how poorly drafted agreements, unresolved co-ownership structures, or unclear succession plans can lead to unnecessary disputes, family conflict, or business disruption.
Cohen Legal offers legal support that respects the operational realities of life on the land — and provides clear, strategic advice to help you make informed decisions at the right time.
“We’re proud to support North Queensland’s producers and landholders. Whether it’s helping a family farm pass to the next generation or resolving a dispute before it turns into litigation — we’re here to help you protect what you’ve worked so hard to build.” — Sam Cohen, Principal Lawyer
How Cohen Legal Helps Agricultural Clients
Rural Leasing, Licences & Land Access
At Cohen Legal we draft, review, and negotiate rural leases, agistment agreements, and licence arrangements. We also advise on rights of access, stock routes, crown land issues, and negotiating infrastructure access for mining, telecommunications, or energy providers.
Property Sales, Purchases & Water Rights
Our team can handle the full transaction process for rural land sales and acquisitions, including water entitlements, easements, and land use considerations. Our team ensures every title, condition and transfer aligns with your commercial and operational interests.
Succession Planning & Asset Protection
We support farm succession planning by working alongside accountants and financial advisers to create clear structures for future ownership, minimising conflict and helping preserve family legacy. From trusts and SMSFs to family agreements and estate planning, the team at Cohen Legal help you prepare for the future.
Agri-Business Contracts & Disputes
Our lawyers can assist with supply chain agreements, partnership structures, co-operative arrangements, and commercial disputes related to non-performance, defective inputs, or unfair trading practices. We also represent clients in mediation, QCAT, or formal court proceedings when needed.
Boundary, Easement & Fencing Disputes
From encroachment to easement disagreements, we help clarify property rights and negotiate practical solutions, or escalate matters where resolution isn’t possible. We understand the delicate nature of neighbour disputes and work to reduce long-term fallout.
Environmental & Biosecurity Compliance
We advise on compliance with State and Federal obligations relating to land clearing, water allocation, environmental regulation, and pest management
Why Choose Cohen Legal
- Based in Townsville, working across Mount Isa & regional QLD
- Deep experience in property, business and rural succession law
- Practical, jargon-free advice tailored to regional realities
- Strong litigation background when disputes escalate
Meet Sam Cohen, Principal Lawyer
Need Legal Advice for Your Rural Property or Agri-Business?
Whether you’re establishing your rural business, planning for the future, or facing a dispute. Cohen Legal are here to help. Get in touch for practical legal advice from a local team who understands the land.
Book a Consultation
Call 07 4721 0264
Cohen Legal. Regional experience. Practical advice. Real protection.
Relevant Blogs
Tax Time Business Legal Health Check | Cohen Legal
Every year, tax time prompts North Queensland business owners to take stock of how the business is performing financially.
But there is another layer to the annual health check that tends to get overlooked – the legal one.
Your accountant can tell you how the business has performed. What they cannot tell you is whether your partnership agreement still reflects how you actually run the business, whether your shareholders agreement adequately protects you if a co-owner’s circumstances change, or whether your Will would leave your beneficiaries in a workable position if something happened to you tomorrow.
As Sam Cohen, Principal of Cohen Legal, explains: tax time is a natural prompt to review whether your agreements and your Will are still fit for purpose. And if the business is doing well, that is precisely the moment to act – because, as Sam puts it, “if you’re making money, then there’s money to actually pay to set yourself up properly.”
In this article, Sam walks through what a business legal health check should cover, why the best time to put agreements in place is when everyone is still happy, and what the cost of getting it wrong can look like in practice.
The Culture Behind Cohen Legal’s Intentional Growth
Growth in a law firm isn’t about size — it’s about capability.
At Cohen Legal, every new team member has been added intentionally to strengthen our litigation focus and deepen our expertise across Townsville and North Queensland.
We’re not the firm for everyone, and we don’t aim to be.
Here’s how our values-driven approach shapes who we hire, how we work, and what that means for our clients.