Property
Partner transferred £700,000 to client “to avoid negligence claim”
A former partner in a London law firm transferred almost £700,000 of his own money to a client company to avoid a negligence claim.
Conveyancers create new initiative to speed up homebuying
A group of conveyancers have joined forces to create a new initiative aimed at solving practical issues that “clog” the conveyancing process.
Rebuke for law firm that failed to perform undertaking for years
A South London law firm that failed to perform an undertaking given during a property transaction for nearly two and a half years has been rebuked by the SRA.
Government pledges to “simplify” conveyancing
The government has promised to “simplify” conveyancing as part of its home-buying reforms, recognising that the role of conveyancers has “expanded significantly”.
Sales packs on way as government commits to home-buying reform
The government is pressing ahead with reforms to the home-buying process, which it says will cut transaction times by around four weeks.
CLC warns of “regulatory blind spots” on referral fees
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has warned of the risk of “regulatory blind spots” after a review of referral fees revealed shortcomings in firms documenting arrangements.
HMRC finally explains when conveyancers should register as tax advisers
HM Revenue & Customs has finally issued detailed guidance on when conveyancers need to register with it as tax advisers.
CLC practices offer good but busy workplaces, research finds
There are good levels of job satisfaction across the conveyancing and probate communities regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers – but workloads are high.
LeO directs law firm to pay £49k in latest public interest decisions
The Legal Ombudsman directed London law firm Laytons to pay £49,000 in compensation to a client for failing to register her lease extension in the latest batch of public interest decisions.
MPs set out demands to improve home-buying process
Mandatory upfront information, conditional sale contracts and regulation of estate agents would all help improve the home buying process, MPs have said.
Partner struck off for ‘witnessing’ unsigned leases
A partner who witnessed two leases as having been signed in his presence when they had not has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Solicitor’s failure to redeem charges “a warning to profession”
The case of a solicitor who wrongly thought charges on a property had been removed is “a warning that even experienced professionals could make serious errors in judgment under extreme stress”.
Lenders signing up to “fully digital homebuying service”
Lloyds Banking Group has become the first of several lenders to offer mortgage customers access to a “fully digital homebuying service” in a partnership with Connells and conveyancers.
Land Registry eyes “step-change in automation” with digital remortgage
HM Land Registry is planning to deliver the “biggest step-change in land registration automation for many years”, including the development of a digital remortgage.
LeO: Internet driving “incorrect expectations” about conveyancing
The information accessed by home buyers and sellers on the internet may be giving them “incorrect expectations” about the timescales or process involved in conveyancing.
Blog
Preparing people for the pace of technological change
While technology often dominates the conversation, I believe the most important challenge facing law firms is not adopting new tools – it is preparing people to adapt alongside them.
Reorientation in the AI era must begin with the client
Much of the discussion about AI in the legal industry focuses on technology: which tools to adopt and which tasks might get automated. But this misses the deeper story.
Awaab’s Law phase 2: New hazards council tenants can now claim for
The conversation on housing disrepair is moving beyond damp and mould alone. With the rollout of phase 2 of Awaab’s Law, the scope of issues covered is expanding significantly,
