Property
Number of conveyancing solicitors slumps as market contracts
The number of conveyancing firms and particularly solicitors has dropped significantly over the past two years in line with the major downturn suffered by the property market.
Leading firm fined £101,000 for anti-money laundering failures
A leading South-West law firm has been fined £101,357 for failing to act over money laundering red flags on three property transactions, two of which may have involved a sanctioned entity.
Pre-contract enquiries platform aims to save conveyancers “weeks”
A pre-contract enquiries platform created by a law firm founder and already used by 230 lawyers, aims to cut “weeks not days” from conveyancing transaction times.
Nearly half of homebuyers say lawyers are too slow in responding
Slow response time is by far the biggest ‘pain point’ homebuyers have when dealing with conveyancers, according to new research.
Upfront information takes centre stage in conveyancing “roadmap”
Expanding the amount of mandatory upfront information which must be provided by sellers when a property is marketed is a central part of the “roadmap” for the future of home moving.
PEXA agrees £31m Smoove deal in bid to grow conveyancing presence
PEXA, the Australian conveyancing technology giant that last year bought a UK law firm, is set to expand significantly after agreeing a £31m deal by buy listed company Smoove.
SRA fines firm that failed to comply with undertaking
A law firm has been fined by the SRA for a “fundamental and prolonged failure” to comply with an undertaking it had given in a conveyancing transaction.
Digital protocol prepares conveyancers for “huge step forward”
The Conveyancing Association has launched a future digital conveyancing protocol to help firms prepare for the “huge step forward” that greater use of upfront information and technology will achieve.
Next stage in upfront property information to begin next month
Rules on the information that must be included in property listings are to be extended next month to cover issues such as restrictive covenants and flood risks, National Trading Standards has said.
Solicitor who changed date of legal charge is struck off
A solicitor who changed the date on a legal charge having missed the deadline for registration at Companies House has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Blog
Change in regulator shouldn’t make AML less of a priority
While SRA fines for AML have been climbing, many in the profession aren’t confident they will get any relief from the FCA, a body used to dealing with a highly regulated industry.
There are 17 million wills waiting to be written
The main reason cited by people who do not have a will was a lack of awareness as to how to arrange one. As a professional community, we seem to be failing to get our message across.
The case for a single legal services regulator: why the current system is failing
From catastrophic firm collapses to endemic compliance failures, the evidence is mounting that the current multi-regulator model is fundamentally broken.
