Janet Jones is head of residential property at Jackson Lees and has considerable experience dealing with conveyancing transactions. She deals with sales and purchases, ranging from straightforward freehold to more complex leasehold, shared ownership and new-build transactions. She also deals with re-mortgages and transfer of equity matters, as well as probate sales and deputy/lasting powers of attorney sales and purchases. Janet is currently a registered conveyancing technician with the Council of Licensed Conveyancers and is working towards becoming a licensed conveyancer. She has worked within the residential conveyancing sector since the 1980s, but had a 10-year break when she worked as a housing law adviser for Shelter, assisting homeless and badly housed people.
What was your career path to your current role?
I started as a conveyancing secretary way back, when typewriters were still a thing.
Bankruptcy searches were typed on pink forms, and pretty much every property was unregistered. Conveyances were typed manually and cross-referenced with a colleague before being sent for approval. Everything was typed, posted or sent via the DX system.
I was taught how to be a conveyancer ‘hands-on’, pretty much as the apprenticeship process works today.
Did you have any other career ambitions?
I was a housing adviser for homeless charity Shelter for 10 years, which I absolutely loved, working closely with a prison resettlement team to try to stop reoffending and homelessness on release from jail. Working in the voluntary sector is not always secure, and funding can be withdrawn at any time. I returned to the legal sector once my contract was brought to an end.
What keeps you motivated in your work?
Helping clients to achieve what they set out to do. Everyone moves for a reason, and it’s important to keep those reasons at the forefront of what you are doing. It’s the absolute best feeling to tell clients we have completed.
If you could change one thing about the transaction process, what would it be?
Inquiries. The amount of time wasted by inappropriate inquiries is absolutely staggering.
What has been the best development in conveyancing in the last 20 years?
There have been lots of developments, but I think one of the most important is the beginning of leasehold reforms, which have been a very long time coming and are well overdue.
And the worst?
Emails! Didn’t even have to think about that one.
Do you think conveyancing will ever be fully digitalised?
I do, yes.
Do you think it should be?
That’s quite a difficult question to answer. On the whole, I would say absolutely it should be. However, there are some clients who will be unable to use a fully digital service, whether that be personal preference or for another reason. We still have to accommodate those clients, and it’s unclear how we would be able to do that were the whole process to become fully digital.
What’s the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you regarding your career?
Make sure you always listen – and keep your sense of humour
What advice would you like to give to someone just starting out?
If you don’t know, ask. You will never know everything about land law – something strange will always catch you by surprise, but you can be sure someone will have had that happen to them at least once!
Tell us something people may be surprised to know about you…
I’m a qualified dance teacher – if you ever need to know how to tap dance, just let me know.
If you’d like to appear in a future profile, email press@todaysconveyancer.co.uk
