Conveyancers’ duties to lenders
Goldsmith Williams Solicitors v E. Surv Ltd [2015] EWCA Civ 1147 This was an appeal by Goldsmith Williams from a High Court decision reported as E.Surv Ltd v Goldsmith Williams Solicitors [2014] EWHC 1104. It involves conveyancer’s duties under the CML Lenders Handbook. The CML requirement in issue was as follows: “5.1 Surrounding Circumstances 5.1.1 […]
Failure of Veyo not an occasion for "I told you so"
The announcement that the joint Law Society and Mastek conveyancing portal Veyo was ceasing development is not an occasions for “I told you so” according to Rob Hailstone of the Bold Legal Group. Rob Hailstone said: “The recent announcement, by the LPT board, that Veyo was being wound up came as no surprise. The only […]
Britain is a nation of decisive homebuyers who are quick to fall in love with their home
61% of homeowners buy the first house they fall in love with A quarter (25%) only need to see one property One in five (18%) made this decision within 30 seconds of entering Two in three (60%) London home buyers had a dream home ‘that got away’ 83% up to the age of 30 are forced […]
InfoTrack Celebrate 100th customer
InfoTrack today announced their 100th customer. The legal services provider, who have more than 50% market share in Australia and have been operating in the UK since 1st July 2015, say their rapid growth is due to their ability to build and evolve technologies that alleviate process based challenges for conveyancers. InfoTrack provides conveyancers with […]
Winner! Searches UK's Managing Director, Andrew Stenning is Entrepreneur of the Year
Searches UK are absolutely thrilled to announce their Managing Director, Andrew Stenning, was declared as Entrepreneur of the Year at The Sussex Business Awards on 3rd December. The Sussex Business Awards was a show stopping event drawing businesses from across the county to celebrate their triumphs and successes. Amongst the award winners was Andrew Stenning […]
SRA backs calls for separation of legal representatives and regulators
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has issued a statement welcoming the Government’s intention to make regulatory bodies independent from representative bodies. The Government intend to consult on separating the roles within the legal profession to “create a fairer, more balanced regulatory regime for England and Wales that encourages competition”. The consultation is intended to launch […]
Veyo saga comes to an end
The long-running Veyo saga has seemingly come to an end, with the Law Society announcing it will make no further investment in the online case management system. At the time of writing both the Veyo website and twitter account have both been made inactive. After a review undertaken by parent company Legal Practice Technologies (LPT), shareholders the […]
Biggest increase in affordable house building in 22 years
More affordable houses were built in the year ending March 2015 than any year since 1993, according to figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government. There were also more affordable home ownership completions with 16,080 recorded, up 41% on 2013/14. In total 66,640 affordable houses were delivered, which also represents a 55% […]
Are you ready for the Christmas break? Legal firms urged to prepare for rise of up to 26% in calls
Law firms across the UK are being urged to prepare for the Christmas break as Moneypenny’s latest report reveals how calls to the legal sector typically see a dramatic rise. Moneypenny – the UK’s leading telephone answering and outsourced switchboard specialist – looked at call volume figures for the past two years, analysing trends immediately […]
PSG London offices come together to support the Society of Asian Lawyers
On Saturday 21st November, the Society of Asian Lawyers (SAL) held its Annual Awards and Ball at the Lancaster Hotel in London with PSG as headline sponsor. This prestigious event showcases the achievements of lawyers from the Asian community and recognises the hard work and dedication of individuals who continue to excel in their chosen […]
Policy wording face-off: MAY VS. LIKELY
A circumstance which ‘MAY’ or ‘IS LIKELY TO’ give rise to a claim While we always encourage clients to ensure they have a good understanding of their policy wording, it is not always easy for the layperson to appreciate exactly how the language of a policy might impact them. This is particularly true where a […]
Home buyers save nearly £2 billion after 2014 stamp duty reforms
Home buyers have collectively saved £1.9 billion since stamp duty reforms in December 2014 according to conveyancers, My Home Move. On average the typical mover has saved £1,500 since the old “slab” system of stamp duty was abolished on 4th December 2014. 87% of estate agents polled by My Home Move believe the change has […]
42% of consumers say conveyancing process is "too complicated and slow" – YouGov
An online poll of 1,314 people conducted by YouGov on behalf of Landmark Information Group has reported that 42% of consumers think the conveyancing process is “too complicated and slow” with only 4% believing it to be quick. Nearly one in four (23%) also believed the process needs modernising, with 37% also wanting environmental information […]
Conveyancer sanctioned by SRA
A conveyancer has been sanctioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) after signing Land Registry transfer deeds, saying she had witnessed their signature when she had not. Elise Daley currently works at DWF LLP according to her LinkedIn profile, but was working at Chadwick Lawrence LLP between 9th July 2012 and 28th June 2013 when […]
LMS links up with new intermediary network, The Right Mortgage & Protection Network
LMS, one of the UK’s leading conveyancing panel management specialists, has announced a new partnership with The Right Mortgage and Protection Network. The network, which launched in February this year, selected LMS to join its conveyancing panel due to its wealth of expertise working with the intermediary sector and its proven ability to meet the […]
Poole Alcock automates legal processes with Zylpha
Poole Alcock has selected document bundling technology, Adobe eSignature integration and HM Land Registry integration from legal systems innovator Zylpha. As part of the practice’s digital innovation strategy, the development is aimed at both boosting efficiency and driving customer service levels for clients. Established for over 120 years, Cheshire based Poole Alcock LLP provides a […]
Top 1,000 conveyancers race ahead of the competition in Q3 2015
Search Acumen Conveyancing Market TrackerQ3 2015 edition Quarterly growth in transaction volumes among the top 1,000 ranking firms outpaced the rest of the market for the first time this year The five biggest firms lead the way with the biggest quarterly and annual growth Q3 proves the busiest of 2015 to date for total transaction […]
SearchFlow launches enhanced personal search service
Conveyancing search provider, SearchFlow has launched an unrivalled personal search report with unique data insight and intelligent risk analysis to aid compliance and save time spent on due diligence. The new product offers the most up-to-date property search information with a summary interpretation, which is supported with advice outlining the next steps required, along with […]
Are you giving your clients the ‘hole’ picture?
With stories of sinkholes becoming ever more prevalent in the news, it’s imperative that solicitors and conveyancers are assessing the risk of subsidence and relaying this information to their clients. With the latest sinkhole appearing in a residential area of St Albans last month, this is just the latest in a long list that have […]
Ready to update?
After welcoming our new legal clients we’ve been hearing more about phone systems that are out of date and in need of updating. Any out of date system can have adverse effects on business, especially when it is not serving its purpose anymore. Incoming calls are still very important for securing business for your firm […]