A business award? Leveraging technology driven results to win!
Is your firm one of the many which has already won an award, giving you another marketing angle, and increased visibility for attracting new clients? Or maybe instead you feel that applying will be a waste of valuable time. Especially when you might not win! There can be any number of reasons for not applying, […]
The problem with estate rentcharges
Problems are being encountered by residential conveyancers acting for buyers of freehold property subject to estate rentcharges, and the purpose of this article is to clarify some of those problems. This includes clients purchasing freehold houses and the transfer including provision for the buyer to pay for services. Even though the payment is not described […]
Blaser Mills Law – trailblazing South East law firm uses latest tech to put client at heart of business
Leading the way with client onboarding With an amazing start to 2022, the tech team at Law Firm Services (LFS) continue to welcome more law firms to the Minerva community. With offices based across the South East and in central London, Blaser Mills Law is a Legal 500 and Chambers ranked firm committed to building […]
HMLR practice guide updates – April 2022
HMLR Practice Guide updates: PG24, PG25, PG28, PG55, PG64 Private trusts of land (PG24) Page summary: Guidance on applications to register transactions involving trustees of land, aimed at conveyancers (practice guide 24). Change made: Section 2.4 has been amended to give guidance on when the use of a restriction in Form II might be appropriate. […]
Russian sanctions – how can your firm benefit from obligation checks?
The Ukraine crisis has meant a series of sanctions have been put in place on Russia and any associated people and companies. Almost all industries have been affected in one way or another, but it is how they handle the sudden change that will cause the most impact. As these changes have been implemented under […]
Conveyancing fraud analysis – how do I protect my firm?
Risk is evolving. Are you mitigating the threat of fraud on your conveyancing fund transfers? Analysis of March’s Solicitors Regulation Authority scam alerts showed that 88% related to impersonation of a real firm in some form, demonstrating the very real threat conveyancers face from criminals who try to illicitly intercept their funds. Next week, Neil […]
5 ways Compass improves on HMRC’s Stamp Duty Calculator
When it comes to Stamp Duty, for a long time there has only been one way to calculate what’s owed. HMRC’s online Stamp Duty Calculator has long been the sole port of call for solicitors, estate agents, mortgage brokers and buyers looking to work out HMRC’s due on the purchase of a new property. But […]
Law Society comments on LSB policy statement
The Legal Services Board’s (LSB) policy statement on empowering consumers sets expectations for legal services provider regulators to offer useful information to consumers about the cost and quality of their services, but solicitors’ leaders warned these throw up real challenges as one legal case is rarely directly comparable to another. Law Society of England and […]
Contaminated land: a Part 2A designated site and how it is managed
In the first of a special two-part blog, we will review the contaminated land regime and how Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 has been managed in practice, through the lens of some specific examples. It highlights how the noble intentions of rooting out the worst offenders has been blunted over time and […]
InfoTrack webinar: AML compliance and understanding Safe Harbour through digital client onboarding
We’re delighted to once again welcome Amy Bell, a recognised expert in law firm compliance, to clarify your anti-money laundering (AML) obligations and answer your questions. Following The Onboarding Summit in February, many of you told us that Amy’s session was like a checklist for law firms’ compliance. Needless to say, this free webinar on […]
SRA gives key consumer protection another chance
Following consultation on the future of post six-year run-off cover, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has announced that it will seek a further 12-month extension to the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) – to September 2023 – to enable detailed consideration of key points raised in feedback. The consultation, which ran from November 2021 to January […]
Help to Buy on the decline, but will housebuilders miss it?
The latest research by the new-build sales optimisation platform, Unlatch, has revealed that the impact of the Help to Buy scheme within the new-build sector has been in slow decline, despite Help to Buy transactions still accounting for a sizable proportion of homes delivered by the nation’s three biggest housebuilders. Launched in 2013, Help to […]
Conveyancer jailed for money laundering
A conveyancer who was struck off in 2001 for misappropriation of clients’ funds has been jailed after laundering over half a million pounds for a gang of organised criminals in Spain. Anthony Lea was struck off in 2001 after diverting £31,000 of client funds to pay off his debt and make a “highly speculative” investment. […]
