LSB consults on new processes for changing regulatory arrangements
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has launched a consultation on proposed new rules and guidance for alterations to regulatory arrangements. One of the oversight regulator’s core statutory functions is assessing applications from regulatory bodies to alter their regulatory arrangements. The process for this has not been substantially reviewed since 2010.Following engagement with the approved regulators […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer; 30th June 2021
So how was today? Was it manic? was it stressful? Did you achieve everything you wanted? One of the things that became apparent over the last few weeks was that estate agents and conveyancers could work together for the benefit of the client. Or so I thought until today. I was trying to complete a […]
Absence of Easement Legal Indemnity Insurance: a case study in conveyancing risk management
A series of case study articles giving real life examples of the benefits of specialist Legal Indemnity Insurance: protection for the insured and risk management for conveyancing solicitors. In today’s busy conveyancing market speed is of the essence. In this article, we look at a case study example of where CLS provided Absence of Easement […]
tm:tv to give property professionals the lowdown on ESG
ESG, more formally known as Environmental, Social and Governance criteria, is undoubtedly complex – with nuances, reliance on multiple data sources, and more! Yet it’s something law firms need to develop a greater understanding of, as investors are increasingly looking to improve sustainability measures across their portfolios. To give property professionals a head start on […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer; 29th June 2021
Three more days to go……. Monday morning – enthusiastic, ready for the week ahead, and already thinking that it is really only a three day week! But I don’t think some clients got the memo…. my first call was from a client I acted for last year who needed to know whether she could send […]
Solicitors’ leader welcomed SRA’s diverse draft business plan and budget
Solicitors’ leaders today welcomed the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) draft 2021-2022 business plan and budget, which will focus on anti-money laundering (AML), diversity, inclusion, technology and innovation. Law Society of England and Wales president I. Stephanie Boyce said: “We are pleased to see the SRA prioritising its work and resources on its core regulatory function […]
So… you think that mining risk is only a rural thing?
It is easy to assume that, if your client’s property is in an urban area, your due diligence on the transaction would not need to involve purchasing a mining report – but our vast collection of historical mining data tells a very different story. We have previously written various pieces on urban mining but as […]
Key appointment made to sales team at LFS
Law Firm Services, the developers behind Minerva, a complete onboarding solution for law firms, are delighted to be working with Clare Yates of CY Training Works. Clare will be helping to deliver their services as part of the customer success management process and is a welcome collaboration with the team. Having such an experienced consultant onboard […]
Interview with Global CEO of PracticeEvolve Group
PracticeEvolve are a recent addition to our range of partners. Further to success in Australia, PracticeEvolve launched operations within the UK in 2018. We speak with David Boland, Global CEO of PracticeEvolve Group, about their recent acquisitions, cloud software and how legal tech providers need to take responsibility for the success of law firms. Tell […]
Solicitors fined over failure to prevent £3.3m conveyancing fraud
Two directors of the firm Mayland Porter have been fined £10,000 and £5,001 respectively, after failing to adequately oversee the activities of a bogus solicitor alleged to have carried out £3.3m in property fraud. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) fined Darren Fazackerley and Meenan Goyal in relation to conveyancing frauds taking place in the London […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer; 28th June 2021
Friday was a day that was anxiously anticipated by all conveyancers – what would the volume of transactions be? Would the banking system be able to cope? The feeling that I got throughout the day was that things were going well – all monies on my stand-alone purchases were transferred and acknowledged by half past […]
Land Registry Limelight : Building land registration expertise
At HM Land Registry, we regularly consult with our customers and know what they value most: our expert colleagues and ease of doing business with us. They also appreciate consistency and getting things done in a reasonable timeframe. We know delays to complex register-create requests cause frustration and want to assure our customers we are […]
Technology set to benefit everyone with “the gift of time” across the property transaction
Paul Albone spent the early part of his career writing and overseeing large scale IT systems in both MoD and Telecoms environments, before joining tmgroup in 2002. Since then, Paul has architected tmgroup’s systems to become market leading, and was also instrumental in transitioning the business out of NLIS and into (and out of) HIPS. […]
Law firm websites are not ready for latest Google update
Legal digital marketing agency founder, Sam Borrett, examines the data from the third annual legal sector review of law firm’s website performance and draws out some interesting conclusions to help law firms migrate to a new digital-first world. The general trend from this year’s report appears to be that often just one or two particular […]
SDLT’s Out for Summer!
The last 15 months has been a time of unprecedented stress for conveyancers, who have literally been pushed to their limits. Legal Bricks has partnered with Leah Steele from Searching for Serenity to bring conveyancers a dedicated session to share their experiences with peers, learn some invaluable skills for preventing/reversing burnout, managing stress and building […]
Conveyancing Association Lobby for CHAPS extension
It almost seems rude to interrupt conveyancers at this moment in time because I know full well you’ll be dealing with perhaps unprecedented levels of work. This is likely to be the busiest three days of your year, maybe any year, and at no point over these three days are you likely to have a […]
New Data Insights Report snapshots flood risk in England & Wales
Landmark Information’s new series of reports offers insightful round-up of property, environmental and land-based intelligence. Data from the first in a new series of Data Insights Reports from Landmark Information has shown the broad extent to which flooding poses an ongoing threat across England and Wales. The report provides land and property industry professionals with […]
HM Land Registry digital mortgage service for conveyancers
HM Land Registry’s digital mortgage service allows homeowners who are remortgaging to sign their mortgage deed quickly and securely. Conveyancers can use the service to create and register legal mortgages of residential property for homeowners who are remortgaging. Updates The Land Registry have updated the lists of lenders and conveyancers using the service. Find more […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer; 25th June 2021
“I know you’re busy but…” I think that was one of the opening lines I heard the most over the last few weeks, along with “I do need to move by the end of June, because of the stamp duty.” The SDLT holiday has brought out the worse in some and the best in some. […]
Strong summer market ahead but early signs of slowdown emerge
Average house prices in England and Wales are set to rise by +7.2% over next three months Fall in monthly rate of growth to +0.4% in August could signal the start of a slowdown in demand Annual growth is rising strongly and forecast to reach +11.1% in August The current extraordinary period of growth for […]
