Property
SRA imposes control order on CILEX lawyer who misled lender client
A CILEX lawyer who misled her lender client so as to complete a residential property transaction has been made subject to a control order by the SRA.
Law firm fights off summary judgment in property fraud claim
A judge has refused a lender’s application for summary judgment against a law firm in a case involving an “imposter who appears to have fraudulently deceived” both of them.
Law firm found negligent over property development agreements
A well-known Shropshire law firm was negligent in the order agreements for a property development joint venture were signed, allowing one side to pull out, the High Court has found.
Tribunal halves law firm’s fees on HS2 house sale
A tribunal has more than halved the fees charged by a leading law firm for advice on the forced sale of a property affected by HS2.
Fine for conveyancer who acted for lenders and himself
A solicitor who acted for lenders in conveyancing transactions without telling them he was also acting for himself and family members has been fined £12,500.
Conveyancers spend nearly half their time chasing people
Conveyancers spend approaching half of their working day chasing other stakeholders or being chased by them, a report has found.
Simple errors in Land Registry applications cost conveyancers £19m
Conveyancers’ failures to get names right in applications to HM Land Registry is costing them up to £3.6m a year in fee-earner time to correct, the agency has estimated.
Many conveyancing firms “do not have clear pricing policies”
Almost half of conveyancing firms do not have pricing policies which are “clearly defined, understood, communicated and adhered to” all the time.
PEXA launches initiative to redesign conveyancing process
PEXA, the Australian conveyancing technology giant now operating in the UK, has launched an initiative in West Yorkshire to redesign the home-buying and selling process.
Woman sentenced for allowing use of account in conveyancing fraud
A woman who allowed her bank account to be used in a conveyancing fraud has been given an 18-month suspended jail sentence.
Solicitors fined £30k for letting down property clients
Two solicitors have been fined more than £30,000 between them for not considering conflicts of interest and not acting in clients’ best interests.
Solicitor fined third of annual income for breach of undertaking
A solicitor who paid out money he was holding, having given an undertaking not to do so, has been fined a third of his annual income by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Seven in 10 homeowners satisfied with their conveyancers
Seven in 10 homeowners were satisfied with their conveyancer but levels of service have deteriorated in the last five years, according to new research.
Tribunal: Barristers’ rooms are not individually rateable properties
A leading tax law chambers has failed to convince a tribunal that rooms occupied by barristers are individual properties for the purposes of business rates.
Search providers refused permission to appeal “overcharging” ruling
The High Court has refused 14 search providers permission to appeal a ruling dismissing an overcharging claim against the nine English water companies.
Blog
Mazur: a symptom not a cause?
If Mazur is a symptom, what does it mean for the underlying health of our civil justice system: the ‘finest legal system in the world’?
Cross-generation collaboration: the key to in-house legal tech adoption
In-house legal function leaders will increasingly have to evolve their thinking on how to manage multigenerational teams containing differing levels of technological expertise.
AI and law firm risk – the view of professional indemnity insurers
In considering law firm applications for cover, many insurers will expect to see evidence of how firms are adapting to AI and preparing for the future.
