The rise of the digital signature
Compared to other professional services, the legal sector has historically been a slower adopter of technology, predominantly due to risk-averse practitioners, the partnership and billable hours model – promoting the slow sifting of precedents and casework, along with minimal time to explore the adoption of new technology and learn new tools. Today, thankfully, the legal […]
Chancel Indemnity insurance – What is the risk and do you still need it?
What is chancel repair liability? Chancel repair liability is a legal obligation on some property owners in England and Wales to pay for repairs to the local parish church. The historic right to impose these charges goes back hundreds of years and was often thought it was unlikely a church could force property owners to […]
Free Fraud and Cyber-Crime Prevention Webinar
poweredbypie, a Dye & Durham company working together with Lawyer Checker, is inviting conveyancers to a free fraud and cyber-crime prevention webinar to be held on 22 July 2021 at 11am. For further information or to register please see: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4575261812902315790 Tom Lyes Director of Engagement, Lawyer Checker confirms: “Cyber-crime is a growing issue for conveyancers […]
Legal sector experts team up for cyber security
Renowned legal sector risk mitigating provider Lawyer Checker is partnering with the lawyer referral scheme Lawshare on Tuesday 13th July at 10am to host a Cyber Security Prevention webinar. Since the global pandemic, the huge adaption to home and hybrid working has unfortunately coupled with a further growth in cyber-criminal threat. Lawyer Checker has tracked […]
Conveyancing Association urges consumers to check with conveyancers on leasehold house cases
The Conveyancing Association (CA), the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry, has urged consumers to contact their conveyancers if they bought a leasehold house between 2000 and October 2015. This call follows the initial success of an industry campaign to deliver a fairer system and outcomes for those who have bought leasehold houses over the […]
CLC confirms 6 practices close due to PII fiasco
The CLC has today responded to confirmation that 6 of its regulated firms have been forced to close following the failure to secure PII cover. In a statement released on the CLC website, the regulator has urged its members to respond to the open Call for Evidence on the operation of PII. The statement in […]
HM Land Registry Release Electronic Signature Guidance
HM Land Registry has released details of its new guidance on “Accepted Signatures.” The guidance covers the types of signatures accepted by HMLR for forms, restriction consents and certificates, defining the options for conveyancers. Wet ink signature: A wet ink signature is a hand-written pen to paper signature. Mercury signing: A defined process by which […]
Technical Corner: Negative interest rates may be on the horizon
Our ‘Technical Corner’ brings you information that will help you to continue to grow and develop in your career. This month’s technical corner article comes from Robert Blech, SRA Sector Specialist Director, MHA Macintyre Hudson If you have any questions for our panel of experts, please submit them using the contact form below. We will […]
Book your online learning sessions now
IQ Legal Training, a fast growing UK-based training provider for residential and commercial lawyers, has announced that it has entered into a collaboration with Today’s Media, the pre-eminent supplier of private clients news for practitioners, designed to facilitate continuing professional development throughout the legal community. IQ Legal Training has been working closely with Today’s Media […]
tm:tv to give property professionals the lowdown on ESG
ESG, more formally known as Environmental, Social and Governance criteria, is undoubtedly complex – with nuances, reliance on multiple data sources, and more! Yet it’s something law firms need to develop a greater understanding of, as investors are increasingly looking to improve sustainability measures across their portfolios. To give property professionals a head start on […]
Solicitors fined over failure to prevent £3.3m conveyancing fraud
Two directors of the firm Mayland Porter have been fined £10,000 and £5,001 respectively, after failing to adequately oversee the activities of a bogus solicitor alleged to have carried out £3.3m in property fraud. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) fined Darren Fazackerley and Meenan Goyal in relation to conveyancing frauds taking place in the London […]
Firms fined for AML failures
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has fined six firms as it continues to clamp down on anti-money laundering non-compliance. The firms were fined £800 and ordered to pay costs of £600 after they took over a year to demonstrate they had taken steps to comply with new regulations introduced in 2020. The fine follows previous sanctions, […]
Developers Commit to Ending Ground Rent Scandal
The CMA has secured formal commitments from leading companies as part of its ongoing work to tackle issues in the leasehold sector. Aviva has committed to remove certain terms from its leasehold contracts which cause ground rents to double, and Persimmon will now offer leasehold house owners the opportunity to buy the freehold of their […]
Conveyancers miss SDLT relief resulting in massive overpayments and claims
PI insurer Howdens have reported insurers seeing a significant increase in claims arising from a failure to apply for Multiple Dwellings Relief (MDR) from SDLT resulting in massive overpayments of SDLT to the treasury. The findings came to light at a roundtable hosted by Howden and SDLT Compass convened to discuss opportunities around SDLT relief […]
Environmental Search Report Specialist Announces Product Improvements
Groundsure, a leading environmental search report specialist involved in over half of the UK’s residential property transactions, has today announced that it is revolutionising its residential product portfolio with exciting changes to the popular Avista, Homebuyers and Homescreen reports from 1st July 2021. The enhanced reports will include information from analysis of more than 110 […]
Property professionals invited to try new ‘Safe Harbour’ ID Check for free
tmgroup, the leading provider of property searches and data, are excited to announce that they can now support their clients in meeting HM Land Registry’s Digital ID Standard (Safe Harbour) – thanks to their partnership with Thirdfort and the launch of a new ID check, which incorporates Government-grade security. Try the new Thirdfort Standard ID […]
A proactive approach to cyber security pays off
Friday afternoon fraud – it’s when criminals target conveyancing firms, the busiest time of the week and – it’s on the increase, a recent cyber security review has found. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) reported that there was a 113% rise in fraud alerts between March 2020 and March 2021, with 89% of all 2020 […]
Firms invited to join customer review pilot
Law firms have been invited to join a pilot exercise that is helping develop meaningful quality indicators which can help potential clients choose their legal service provider. The exercise, a joint project between the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), CILEx Regulation and Bar Standards Board (BSB), has brought together website providers […]
Updated Practice Guides: PG50, PG36, PG63 & PG13
There has been an update published in the following practice guides: Requisition and cancellation procedures (PG50) Page summary: Advice on how to avoid requisitions on applications and our procedures where they do need to be raised (practice guide 50). Change made: We have updated section 3 regarding the information we require to consider granting an […]
Website Transparency – Haven’t we done this already?
As part of our ‘Technical Corner’ we want to bring you information that will help you to continue to learn and grow in your career. This month’s technical corner article comes from Amy Bell, Director of Teal Compliance. We have seen an increase in the enquiries we have had about compliance with the Transparency Rules. […]