Legal Ombudsman cannot afford to lose focus

The Legal Ombudsman service (LeO) has made some strides in improving its performance, but it must not lose focus in tackling its backlog, the Law Society of England and Wales said today. Law Society President Lubna Shuja said: “Reducing the backlog of cases waiting to be investigated must continue to be the priority for LeO. […]
SRA proposes minor amends to its Standards and Regulations in response to feedback

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is consulting on a series of minor amendments to its Standards and Regulations following feedback from stakeholders since the rules were introduced in 2019. The amendments address areas where, once live, the new rules have either had unintended knock-on consequences or feedback from the profession suggests they need changing to […]
CLC urges Legal Ombudsman to step up costs control

The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) needs to do more to show that it can control its very high costs, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) warned today. While the CLC said its confidence that LeO can deal with its case load has increased “slightly”, it has “yet to be assured” of the organisation’s control of costs. […]
The Ombudsman’s Corner: 16th December 2022

In my last column, I explained how and why our Scheme Rules are changing on 1st April 2023, setting out the main changes – our time limits, our discretion to dismiss or discontinue complaints which are within our jurisdiction in certain circumstances, and the introduction of discretion to decline to pass a complaint onto an […]
Bank of England ups interest rates to 3.5%

Interest rates have reached 3.5% following the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England’s decision to boost rates by a further 50 basis points. This brings the base rate to its highest level since the global financial crash of 2008 and marks the ninth hike to interest rates in 2022 alone. The Monetary Policy […]
Hodgkinsons Solicitors streamline their conveyancing process with Redbrick Solutions

Leading Lincolnshire law firm, Hodgkinsons Solicitors, provide a comprehensive range of legal services to both commercial and private clients. The well-established firm pride themselves on their ability to resolve complex legal issues using creative and cost-effective solutions. The team aim to promote strong, long-term relationships and strive to uphold their outstanding reputation. To support the […]
Meet the team – Sarah Fancourt

Dye & Durham’s depth of expertise covers many aspects of conveyancing, allowing the global software technology company to support conveyancers with both data and insight. We spoke to Sarah Fancourt, Operations Director UK Real Estate, Dye & Durham to find out how the company supports legal firms. 1. Describe your background. I’ve worked in the […]
BoE interest rate rises described as “operation protect the housing market”

A financial services company has described the Bank of England’s (BoE) decision to raise interest rates as “operation protect the housing market”. The BoE announced on November 3rd that it is further raising the base interest rate from 2.25% to 3%. With potential homebuyers delaying taking out a mortgage at the current record-high rates and lenders […]
Choice key to improving property searches, says IPSA

Conveyancers facing lengthy delays for property searches can choose a better route, according to the association which represents independent search experts. IPSA, the Association of Independent Personal Search Agents, launched its #MakeTheSwitch campaign at LegalEx last month, the UK’s largest conference and exhibition for lawyers and law firms. The aim is that conveyancing lawyers will […]