Property
Strike-off for solicitor who exploited vulnerable investors
A solicitor who “exploited and misled” the Zimbabwean women she claimed to be empowering has been struck off.
SDT clears conveyancer of taking instructions from client’s son
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has cleared a conveyancer of taking instructions from a client’s son and of manifest incompetence in a property transaction.
Strike-off for conveyancer who repeatedly lied to client
A veteran solicitor who repeatedly lied to a client, giving her false assurances over a period of two years about the registration of her property, has been struck off.
Big rise in home-buyers complaining about “unexpected costs”
The proportion of home-buyers saying they experienced “unexpected costs” in their transactions has gone up by more than 50% this year, new research has found.
Big spike in conveyancing complaints to Legal Ombudsman
The Legal Ombudsman has reported a 41% increase in the number of complaints about conveyancing, driven by delays, poor communication and post-completion problems.
CLC rebukes Legal Services Consumer Panel for “inaccuracies”
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has issued a sharp rebuke to the Legal Services Consumer Panel for its “inaccurate representation” of the regulator last week.
Private equity takes stake in property management law firm
A 50-person law firm that specialises in property management work has taken investment from LDC, part of Lloyds Banking Group.
Home movers “more confident” about digital information sharing
Confidence among home movers about sharing information digitally – and indeed in the home-buying process improving – is growing strongly, research has found.
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.
Blog
Is the legal profession ready for agentic AI?
An AI agent is difficult to supervise. By design, it works in the background. It means a solicitor can be held responsible for work they had no real means to oversee.
Why firms stall in adopting AI and how to unlock real progress
If your firm is hesitating on AI, it’s almost never the technology that’s in the way. What stalls adoption is everything that surrounds the tool.
Home-buying reform must focus on experience, not just technology
Buyers and sellers don’t judge their experience by the number of digital platforms they use or the technology operating behind the scenes.
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