Survey reveals conveyancers are satisfied with their current search provider
98% of property solicitors are either fairly satisfied or very satisfied with the service they receive from their search provider, an independent survey has revealed. Conducted by Mindset, the research included responses from a sample of decision makers across 100 conveyancing firms within the UK and was designed to discover exactly how satisfied property solicitors […]
Law Society publishes practice note on cloud computing
The Law Society has published a practice note on the use of cloud computing services in law firms. The guidance is responding to the increasing use of cloud storage as an alternative to traditional IT provision and the associated security risks involved. Cloud computing is computing as a service and means a third party owns […]
PSG supports Association of Women in Property in the North West
PSG offices in Manchester, Oldham and Ashton-Under-Lyne have come together to sponsor the event which is to be held at The Midland Hotel in Manchester on Friday 9th May. Joanne Holt, Director of PSG Ashton said “We are absolutely delighted to be able to support our local branch of WiP, they provide an excellent platform […]
More to come as Moneypenny has its busiest new client month ever
For telephone answering specialist Moneypenny, March 2014 has proved to be its busiest month ever in terms of new clients taking up the service. The number relates to new clients across the business; however Moneypenny’s legal sector continues to be the largest in the company, accounting for the highest call volume by sector each month, […]
Podcast – The impact of environmental liabilities
Begonia Filgueira discusses with Professor Lee a recent deal which consisted in the refinancing of a number of sites where environmental liabilities, specifically contaminated land, were a very large concern for all parties to the transaction. The podcast discusses how environmental reports can come alive years later for lawyers and the consultant, the importance of […]
Tech Portal April Fool
Last week for April Fool’s day Search Acumen sent us an article suggesting that they were launching "Bot-Con" a virtual conveyancer that even knew the football scores and was also available in a female version. A number of you noticed and tweeted or commented on the joke. Unfortunately the lending magazine Bridging and Commercial Distributor […]
Bridging lending value soars over £2billion
Gross bridging lending has reached a value of over £2billion in the last 12 months. According to a report by West One Loans, gross bridging lending has grown 26 per cent in the 12 months leading to 1 March, reaching £2.02billion. The latest Bridging Index from the one of the largest privately funded bridging lender […]
SRA releases handbook version 9
The Solicitor’s Regulation Authority has released the ninth version of their handbook. The new version came into effect on 1 April and one of the key changes is to the SRA Financial Services (Scope) Rules. As the regulation of consumer credit activities has been transferred to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) from the Office of […]
Halifax House Price Index shows bright forecast
House prices from January to March this year were 2.3 per cent higher than in the final quarter of 2013. The Halifax House Price Index (HHPI) also found that prices in the three months to March were 8.7% higher than in the same three months a year earlier, continuing the upward trend in the annual […]
How will impending MMR affect you?
The Mortgage Market Review (MMR) rules will come into force on 26 April, leaving just weeks for lenders to ensure they are ready. The reforms set out in the MMR and MMR Rules are intended to ensure access to mortgages for consumers who can afford it, so it is anticipated that most of the changes […]
Franklins Solicitors bolsters Equity arm
A Milton Keynes and Northampton based Solicitors have announced the appointment of four new Equity Members. Franklins Solicitors LLP, one of the few firms to be accredited by LEXCEL, ISO9001, Investors in People and be a member of The Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme, added Jane Kingston, Andrea Smith, Lee Holmes and Scott Wright to […]
CLC revises handbook
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has revised its complaints guidance section in the handbook. An amendment has been made to the example complaints procedure to ‘reflect the timeframes applied by the Legal Ombudsman.’ The CLC advises that ‘you should ensure that your own procedures take account of those timeframes.’ The amended handbook can be […]
SRA wants YOUR views
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has asked for views on two consultations that have been launched to reduce regulatory burden. The first consultation looks at discontinuing the Keeping of the Roll as an annual exercise, while the second explores increasing the level of residual client account balances that solicitors can donate to charity. At present,the […]
99 per cent of homes sell at asking price
The proportion of homes being sold at asking price is currently at its highest level since 2004. The percentage grew from 93.5 per cent of homes in England and Wales achieving their asking price in March last year, to 96.2 in the same period this, a ten-year high ‘reflecting the improving market conditions’, according to […]
Serious late rent down one third
Severe tenant rent arrears have fallen by a third in the last 12 months, according to a new report. The number of tenants behind on rent by more than two months has fallen from 105,000 in the first quarter of last year, to 68,000 in the same period in 2014, a 35 per cent drop. […]
Intelligent Conveyancing – The Future is not what it used to be
Some of you may have seen the April Fool we published in Today’s Conveyancer last week (https://todaysconveyancer.co.ukvirtual-conveyancers-a-solution-to-the-staff-recruitment-crisis-cms-14087). Of course, it was a bit of fun — even if the anagrammatic Olaf Lipor did not agree! But it was also designed to feed the current industry debate on how an increasingly sparse conveyancing human resource can […]
‘Route 999’ fundraising ride around solicitors and estate agents in Staffordshire
On Wednesday 9 April, Julie Tomasik, head of residential conveyancing at Ansons, will be donning biker gear and helmet to embark on ‘route 999’ riding pillion on a Honda ST1100 Pan European motorbike to raise money for the newly launched Shropshire and Staffordshire Blood Bikes. Shropshire and Staffordshire Blood Bikes is an emergency volunteer service […]
Decision First launches simpler solution for conveyancer panel applications
Decision First has announced the launch in Q2 of Lender Exchange, a secure platform designed to reduce the burden of applying to lender panels and meeting ongoing due diligence requirements of lender panel membership. Lender Exchange will enable legal professionals to join and maintain their position on multiple lender panels without having to supply the […]
The March issue of The Brief is out
Welcome to the March 2014 issue of The Brief. As ever, this edition is jam packed with opinions, interviews and profiles. Firstly, we have an exclusive interview with Christopher Saul, who is senior partner at city giant Slaughter & May. Christopher’s thoughts – and the approach the firm takes – makes for fascinating reading. We […]
Virtual conveyancers – a solution to the staff recruitment crisis?
If you were to ask the Head of Conveyancing at almost any legal practice what is their biggest challenge following the recent boom in transactions — the recruitment of high quality staff would be top of the list for most. Swathes of experienced staff lost during the downturn at the start of the decade have […]