Property
Property listing rules “will encourage earlier lawyer involvement”
New rules on the information that must be included in property listings will encourage sellers to instruct conveyancers earlier in the process, National Trading Standards has said.
Electronic signatures “largest area of change” for property industry
The use of electronic signatures has been the “single largest area of change” in technology for the property industry over the past 18 months, a survey has found.
Revolutionary Australian conveyancing platform to launch in the UK
Property Exchange Australia (PEXA), which processes 80% of conveyancing completions in Australia, has announced plans to launch in England and Wales this autumn.
“First collaborative conveyancing service” goes live
A pilot version of what its solicitor co-founder describes as the “first collaborative conveyancing service” has gone live. Eddie Goldsmith said it was about letting conveyancers “get on with the legal work”.
SRA outlines concerns over inadequate advice to leaseholders
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has spelt out its concerns that clients “are not receiving appropriate advice” on onerous clauses in leases, particularly around ground rents.
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.
Blog
Digital marketing for law firms in 2026 – where to focus your efforts
Digital marketing for law firms in 2026 is more demanding than ever. AI is reshaping content, while audiences are becoming more selective and platforms are raising the bar on quality.
From AI ambition to operational reality
AI is no longer an emerging technology on the horizon. It has become the connective tissue binding law, regulation, risk and commercial decision-making.
From text to world: The legal significance of multimodal AI
The next phase of AI, already underway, will integrate text with vision, sound, motion and even touch. This will produce systems that no longer ‘read about’ the world but perceive it.
