Property
Government mulls estate agents’ disclosure of referral fees
The government is to sit down with National Trading Standards to consider whether stricter rules are needed to force estate agents to disclose that they have received referral fees from conveyancers.
Law firm that held deposits defeats claim over failed property development
Investors who lost money in a failed property development in Liverpool should sue their former solicitors rather than the law firm which held and paid out their deposits, the High Court has ruled.
Covid boosted conveyancing fees and role of ‘dabblers’
The pandemic and stamp duty holiday led to conveyancing fees going up sharply, while ‘dabblers’ played a vital role in supporting the market, an industry roundtable has heard.
Investors back conveyancing network and managed account provider
A blockchain network that connects conveyancers with estate agents and mortgage lenders and the company that provides third-party managed accounts for lawyers have both received new investment.
Conveyancing income on the rise at Simplify in pre-attack results
The Simplify conveyancing group saw its turnover from legal work increase by 3% to nearly £125m in its last financial year, which does not cover the recent cyber-attack.
Property search merger could lead to higher costs, warns watchdog
The merger of two of the four big property search providers faces an in-depth probe unless they can show it will not reduce competition and increase costs to conveyancers and others.
Law firm eyes group action against Simplify over cyber-attack
Group action law firm Keller Lenkner UK is planning a claim over the cyber-attack that continues to affect clients of conveyancing giant Simplify, it has emerged.
MPs call for inquiry into conveyancers who “mis-sold” leasehold advice
There should be an inquiry into the “mis-selling scandal” of housing developers pointing buyers to preferred conveyancers, who then did not advise on escalating ground rents, MPs said this week.
“We’re getting there,” says Simplify as client anger rages on
The majority of conveyancers at the Simplify group are now “back up and running on core systems, and actively working on cases”, it announced yesterday.
Pandemic has highlighted digital gaps, property lawyers say
Commercial property lawyers believe the pandemic has not only hastened the adoption of new technology but highlighted gaps where it could improve the conveyancing process.
Regulator presses Simplify to help clients change conveyancer
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers is pressing the Simplify group to reach a position where it can provide its files to clients who wish to change lawyer following the recent cyber-attack.
Clients’ desperation grows as impact of Simplify cyber-attack stretches on
Desperate consumers are looking at the feasibility of changing their lawyer as the impact of the cyber-attack on Simplify, the conveyancing giant, stretches into a second week.
Seller’s conveyancer calls police after harassment from buyers
A conveyancer has described how she ended up fearing for her safety and calling the police after harassment from the buyers on the other side.
Tech firm buys conveyancers to test products in “live environment”
A listed property technology firm has bought a firm of licensed conveyancers to help it test products in a “live environment” before they are launched.
Mortgage cryptocurrency “will lower cost of solicitors’ PII”
A company seeking to become a linchpin in the property market is to trial a crypto-currency to replace the traditional transfer of money between banks and conveyancers.
Blog
It’s time for law firms to ask tougher questions
For years, many law firms have treated ID verification as a box-ticking exercise. Run a liveness check, match a face to a document and move on. But that is no longer good enough.
Business fatigue to AI will risk job security
Whilst we know professional learning has always been part of career paths, to hire, retain and keep talent, AI needs to be embedded as a core part of this training.
On good authority? GenAI and the reputational risks to law firms
As GenAI’s influence grows, so do the risks which are already playing out in courtrooms across England and Wales, where some early adopters are setting precedents they would rather not.
