Compulsory acquisition is what is referred to when a government authority takes your land. Governments and their authorities have the legal right to acquire private property for public purposes. There is legislation in each state that outlines how they acquire land, but they must pay compensation to the landowner and affected parties such as commercial tenants and business owners for their loss. Lawyers help those affected by compulsory acquisition to ensure that the compensation paid is fair market value. The acquiring authority is also required to pay for the affected parties reasonable legal fees.