Property
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.
Solicitor “cut corners” when exchanging contracts on property sale
A judge has refused to order the sale of a house after finding that the buyer’s solicitor “cut corners” and did not hold a signed contract at the point of exchange, despite claiming he did.
Law firm fined for paying proceeds of sale to third party
A law firm which failed to follow its internal processes and transferred the proceeds of a property sale to a third party has been fined for misconduct.
Conveyancers positive about mental health despite high stress levels
Conveyancers and other property professionals believe their mental health is better than it has been since before the pandemic despite high levels of stress.
Freezing order for disbarred barrister acting as McKenzie Friend
A one-time barrister disbarred in 2016 has had her assets frozen over allegations of misappropriating money from a client while acting as a McKenzie Friend.
Conveyancers want to charge more but lack confidence to do so
Most conveyancers think they should be charging clients more but only a third say they and their colleagues know how to “confidently deal” with objections to fees from clients, a report has found.
SRA to toughen up on compliance with continuing competence rules
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to step up efforts to ensure compliance with continuing competence obligations, particularly among conveyancers and probate specialists.
Another non-legal acquisition for Gateley with £6m surveying firm
Listed law firm Gateley has increased its non-legal professional capabilities by spending £6m on an East Midlands chartered surveyors practice, while also setting up a collective actions practice.
CLC warns conveyancers over breaching undertakings
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has received “too many complaints” about some of the practices it regulates breaching undertakings.
Law Society presses lenders for more Building Safety Act changes
The Law Society is pushing for more changes to the building safety provisions in the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook after one was made last week.
Large North-West conveyancing practice to close doors on Friday
A large conveyancing firm in the North-West is to close its doors on Friday, with its two directors taking some staff to join the practice owned by listed company Smoove.
Estate agents back higher conveyancing fees for quicker sales
Estate agents would “absolutely, categorically” accept conveyancers increasing their fees if it meant speeding up the process, an industry leader said last week.
Blog
Charting a new course for publicly funded legal services
The current Legal Aid Agency model is inherently flawed and it goes beyond mere data breaches – it cannot innovatively respond to increasing challenges.
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.
