Ask any property lawyer about the things that are winding them up about Conveyancing2026 and they’ll talk about the increased compliance burden and the challenges of trying to get deals through more efficiently. Which, despite what you might read on LinkedIn or some of the more choice comments that people seem to like writing after my articles, are two areas where technology might just have something to add.
The problem is that whilst there is technology around today, just because you can use it, doesn’t mean you should. I have recently spoken to a number of people diving headlong into starting up law firms using the argument that AI will give them a significant competitive edge and will solve the “broken home buying and selling process” once and for all.
They are sort of correct in that having the right technology foundations does indeed offer a massive benefit. I have witnessed this first-hand with my own firm, where we have been 100% digital from the start – we live by the maxim, “if it moves, scan it”. However, and it’s a big but (not to be confused with Shrek’s Donkey character’s fascination for such things) being digital is just the start.
But hold on, surely AI is the answer?
In theory, the concept of using AI agents to review documents and action the next process is compelling. Our role as lawyers is to take information from various sources, determine the risks involved for our clients and their lenders, identify potential problems and advise accordingly. This sounds like the perfect scenario for technology to be used. Using one AI model to check a document for inconsistencies and then another model to “check their homework” – what could possibly go wrong?
Unfortunately, in our experience of using technology never has the phrase, “many a slip betwixt cup and lip” been more appropriate. The fundamental issue that is overlooked in conveyancing, is that it is not a simple, repeatable process. If it was, then we’d all be eating bonbons and be back home in time for tea.
That said, we should not underestimate the massive contribution that AI has delivered to conveyancing; it has freed us from the tyranny of the terror that is the scanned PDF. In the past, even the most ardent technology fan would have been brought down by the fact that you could not process the contents of these things. If you can’t process a scanned document, then you’re no further forward than those horses at the Grand National who get spooked by the starting tape, let alone get to fall at the first fence.
AI has done this for us.
Even if we can now read the documents we’ve been sent by the other side, deciphering the filenames makes completing the Crystal Maze look like a walk in the park. If you don’t know what the documents are, it’s going to be tricky to understand where they fit, but the good news is that with the right training, AI is pretty good at working at what type of document you are trying to read.
Thank you, oh benevolent AI.
Why the answer isn’t agentic AI
The real problem is the one no-one speaks about, because, like trying to read scanned PDFs, it’s in the too-difficult pile. We are dealing with people moving house. Even at the best of times, providing services to the public can be challenging; ask anyone who has worked in a pub, hotel, restaurant, shop, vet, or indeed anywhere where they had to talk to people, and they’ll tell you the challenges. Throw in the “House Moving Multiple” and you’ll see those stress levels going through the roof.
Whilst technology is indeed good for categorising and reading documents, despite what they might say about red tape and compliance bureaucracy, these are not the key challenges for property lawyers. It’s dealing with the irrational, frustrated and impatient public who won’t give you identification documents you need or are too busy to take your phone call to give authority to exchange.
Sadly, this is not something that technology can solve and is where lawyers need to be focus their attention on how we solve this, rather than hoping the robots are going to save us by reading a title and confirming that yes, the seller does indeed own the property with title absolute.
About the author
Peter Ambrose is the owner of The Partnership and Legalito – specialising in the delivery of transparent and ultra-efficient conveyancing services and software.
