Bio

R. Seth Hampton joined Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC in 2014. His practice primarily focuses on real estate, agriculture, commercial finance, and environmental compliance. He is recognized in the 2023 Edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in the areas of Banking and Finance Law, Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, and Real Estate Law. Mr. Hampton regularly represents clients in conveying and exchanging real property and real-property interests, such as easements, purchase options, and rights of refusal; preparing and negotiating lease agreements for agricultural, recreational and commercial properties; resolving title issues and boundary disputes; and developing agricultural, recreational and commercial properties. His experience also includes advising clients on matters concerning water rights and irrigation permitting, and compliance issues involving environmental, wetlands and land use regulations. Agribusiness transactional and regulatory matters in which Mr. Hampton has been involved include acquisitions and dispositions of agricultural properties and major asset portfolios in Arkansas and surrounding states; advising producers and landowners on compliance issues with state-specific agricultural, land-use and environmental laws and regulations, and laws and regulations promulgated by the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resource Conservation Service and other USDA agencies; negotiating and preparing production contracts, service and supplier contracts, custom farming agreements and leases for agricultural, recreational and commercial properties; transfers and assignments of agricultural and conservation easements and contracts, water and irrigation rights, and other governmental entitlements; and advising landowners and producers on matters concerning water rights, irrigation permitting and wetlands and environmental compliance. Additionally, Mr. Hampton represents both lenders and borrowers with risk management aspects of agricultural lending, including matters concerning collateral securitization and loan documentation, and negotiating workouts and forbearance agreements involving agriculture loans. Mr. Hampton is a member of the American Agricultural Law Association, International Council of Shopping Centers, American Bar Association, Arkansas Bar Association and Pulaski County Bar Association. He is a frequent speaker to title, banking, land management, real estate brokerage and other agribusiness industry groups on topics concerning legal issues applicable to real estate transactions and due diligence involving agricultural, commercial and recreational properties; identifying and resolving title and survey issues unique to agricultural and rural properties; transfers of agricultural and conservation contracts and easements, irrigation permits and water rights; compliance issues with environmental, wetlands and land use regulations; and agricultural finance and lending laws. Mr. Hampton hails from Monroe County, Arkansas, where his extensive knowledge of the agricultural industry began with his involvement in his family’s farming operation. His involvement with his family’s operation led him to attend Arkansas State University where he earned a B.S.A. in Agricultural Business, was a member of the Delta Tau Alpha Agricultural Honors Society, the Collegiate Farm Bureau Club, the Agricultural Business Club, and the Delta Theta Chapter of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. Following graduation, Mr. Hampton served as Congressman Berry’s District Representative and Liaison for southern counties comprising Arkansas’s First Congressional District. Mr. Hampton obtained his J.D., with honors, from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law where he was a member of the Arkansas Real Estate Review. While obtaining his law degree, Mr. Hampton also served as a student law clerk to the Honorable J. Thomas Ray, United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Following graduation, Mr. Hampton served as a staff attorney to the Honorable Billy Roy Wilson, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas before joining Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC. Mr. Hampton is licensed to practice in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and the United States Court of Federal Claims.