Amiqus re-certifies to ISO 27001:2022, UK DIATF, and Cyber Essentials Plus

Amiqus is delighted to announce the continued certification to three core certifications: ISO 27001:2022, UK Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF), and Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+). Over the last couple of months our Security, Audit, Risk and Compliance (SARC) team has been audited externally against these industry standards. With three excellent results and feedback, […]
Consultant fee sharing models now employ 4,000 lawyers – Report

Consultant or platform law firms continue to grow with 4000 lawyers reported to be operating under the fee sharing model in England and Wales according to the latest insight. Despite it remaining a small fraction of the overall legal market; the sector is growing and developing into new areas of law according to a new […]
Housing pipeline tops £113bn with market set for 1.1m transactions in 2024 – Zoopla

306,000 homes are currently working their way through the buying process to completion; and increase of 62,250 (26%) on the same time last year leading to predictions of a “bumper” final quarter for 2024 and into 2025. The latest House Price Index from Zoopla paints a hugely positive picture of the market with the largest […]
“Contrived” MDR claim leaves £80,000 SDLT bill

A ‘contrived’ attempt to claim Multiple Dwellings Relief (MDR) on a property has left the owner’s with an £80,000 tax bill after a first tier tribunal (FTT) ruled MDR did not apply. The property in question, a six-bedroom home in Upper Basildon, Berkshire, was transacted in August 2020. The tribunal was told the solicitors for […]
Law Society urges SRA to focus on its core role, as new report shows insight into perceptions of the regulator

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has published findings from its corporate strategy benchmarking research, which examines key audiences’ perception of its performance, despite continued warnings from the Law Society of England and Wales to focus on its core role. The report has found that the existence of legal regulators enforces confidence and trust. However, low […]
End of “fleecehold”? Government responds to CMA

The government will continue to consult on the most appropriate way to ‘address the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ private estates’ and bring forward a new consumer code for housebuilders as part of it’s response to a Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation and plans to build 1.5m new homes in this Parliamentary term. The CMA’s final […]
New “Ethical Principles” part of updated CLC Code of Conduct

Proposed changes by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) to its Code of Conduct have been approved by the Legal Services Board (LSB) and will take effect from January 1, 2025. A revised code of conduct was put to CLC in a consultation at the end of 2023, placing increased importance on knowing your client, […]
What a clown – they use technology

The “clown” emoji is the latest weapon of choice for some of the noisier participants of social media, using it to describe other lawyers who, in their opinion, should not be carrying out conveyancing. These typically accompany the accusation that these “clowns” have an over-reliance on technology, and are the cause of the delays we […]
Diary of High Street Conveyancer – What are the funniest typos you’ve seen?

There is so much negativity out there at the moment; so this week, let’s laugh. And let’s discuss typos in letters or emails. I mention this because I was on the telephone to another solicitor and he told me about the time when he made a typo error in an email to a client. It […]
Tributes flood in for “True Inspiration”

After the announcement last week of the death of Sarah Edmundson, tributes have flooded in from across the sector for the property industry advocate and driving force behind the Agents Together charity who lost her battle with breast cancer aged 38. An ongoing fundraising campaign for Breast Cancer Now, prominent at the recent ESTAS Awards, […]