Property
Fine for solicitor who acted for both property developer and investor
A solicitor who acted for a property investment company and an investor has been fined just over £9,000 for breaking conflict of interest rules.
“Instruct conveyancers early”, Trading Standards tells sellers and agents
National Trading Standards has encouraged sellers and estate agents to engage conveyancers earlier than now after it made clear all the information that needs to be included in property listings.
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.
Government “unlikely to mandate” ways to speed up conveyancing
The government was yesterday told repeatedly of the need to mandate conveyancers and the rest of the home-moving sector to adopt new ways of working – but the calls look set to fall on deaf ears.
SRA told to pay solicitor £75k in costs for failed prosecution
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been slapped with a £75,000 costs order after making an “essential mistake of law” in a failed prosecution of a solicitor.
Binding offers backed by AI “could end conveyancing uncertainty”
The introduction of binding offers, backed by widespread use of artificial intelligence, holds the key to improving the conveyancing process, a leading figure has predicted.
Blog
Legal project management – a mindset lawyers can easily apply
Where budgets are tight, lawyers will be considering what’s in their existing arsenal to still improve productivity. One effective, accessible and cheap tool is legal project management.
How a good customer journey can put your business on the map
Good customer service should be a priority for any business and, if you want to stay ahead of the competition, something that’s constantly under review.
The CAT’s welcome boost for the funding industry
There was welcome guidance from the Competition Appeal Tribunal this week for funded cases looking for certainty following PACCAR, with the renegotiated Sony litigation funding agreement upheld as lawful.
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