Interview with Global CEO of PracticeEvolve Group
PracticeEvolve are a recent addition to our range of partners. Further to success in Australia, PracticeEvolve launched operations within the UK in 2018. We speak with David Boland, Global CEO of PracticeEvolve Group, about their recent acquisitions, cloud software and how legal tech providers need to take responsibility for the success of law firms. Tell […]
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 […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer; 28th June 2021
Friday was a day that was anxiously anticipated by all conveyancers – what would the volume of transactions be? Would the banking system be able to cope? The feeling that I got throughout the day was that things were going well – all monies on my stand-alone purchases were transferred and acknowledged by half past […]
Land Registry Limelight : Building land registration expertise
At HM Land Registry, we regularly consult with our customers and know what they value most: our expert colleagues and ease of doing business with us. They also appreciate consistency and getting things done in a reasonable timeframe. We know delays to complex register-create requests cause frustration and want to assure our customers we are […]
Technology set to benefit everyone with “the gift of time” across the property transaction
Paul Albone spent the early part of his career writing and overseeing large scale IT systems in both MoD and Telecoms environments, before joining tmgroup in 2002. Since then, Paul has architected tmgroup’s systems to become market leading, and was also instrumental in transitioning the business out of NLIS and into (and out of) HIPS. […]
SDLT’s Out for Summer!
The last 15 months has been a time of unprecedented stress for conveyancers, who have literally been pushed to their limits. Legal Bricks has partnered with Leah Steele from Searching for Serenity to bring conveyancers a dedicated session to share their experiences with peers, learn some invaluable skills for preventing/reversing burnout, managing stress and building […]
Conveyancing Association Lobby for CHAPS extension
It almost seems rude to interrupt conveyancers at this moment in time because I know full well you’ll be dealing with perhaps unprecedented levels of work. This is likely to be the busiest three days of your year, maybe any year, and at no point over these three days are you likely to have a […]
New Data Insights Report snapshots flood risk in England & Wales
Landmark Information’s new series of reports offers insightful round-up of property, environmental and land-based intelligence. Data from the first in a new series of Data Insights Reports from Landmark Information has shown the broad extent to which flooding poses an ongoing threat across England and Wales. The report provides land and property industry professionals with […]
HM Land Registry digital mortgage service for conveyancers
HM Land Registry’s digital mortgage service allows homeowners who are remortgaging to sign their mortgage deed quickly and securely. Conveyancers can use the service to create and register legal mortgages of residential property for homeowners who are remortgaging. Updates The Land Registry have updated the lists of lenders and conveyancers using the service. Find more […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer; 25th June 2021
“I know you’re busy but…” I think that was one of the opening lines I heard the most over the last few weeks, along with “I do need to move by the end of June, because of the stamp duty.” The SDLT holiday has brought out the worse in some and the best in some. […]
Strong summer market ahead but early signs of slowdown emerge
Average house prices in England and Wales are set to rise by +7.2% over next three months Fall in monthly rate of growth to +0.4% in August could signal the start of a slowdown in demand Annual growth is rising strongly and forecast to reach +11.1% in August The current extraordinary period of growth for […]
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, […]
Webinar: How to run your conveyancing firm with confidence
Do you struggle to find the courage and confidence that will help you to effectively lead at your conveyancing firm? If so, a free webinar could help. Starting your own firm can be one of the most freeing and rewarding things you’ll ever do—but that doesn’t mean it always feels easy. In times of uncertainty […]
Industry responds to ground rent commitments from developers
The Competition and Market’s Authority reported yesterday that developers Persimmon and Aviva will commit to making changes to their ground rent terms, removing the terms which cause ground rents to double. In the case of Aviva, it has committed to repay affected homeowners. In May, the Queen’s Speech introduced proposals for planning and leasehold reform in which […]
Diary of a High Street Conveyancer; 24th June 2021
One week to go….. it is exhausting, draining and tiring, both mentally and physically. Unless you work in the property market, it is difficult to comprehend what it is presently like. It feels like a treadmill on which we are continually running but not getting anywhere! But the end is in sight. I think that […]
Why Lawyers Should be Taking Notice of Data
When we were invited to participate in a ‘Future of Proptech’ report by Raconteur, which published in The Times newspaper, we were delighted to share our views on the shape of things to come. Encapsulating what the future of the property industry will look like however, when driven by technology innovation, is a wide-reaching topic […]
HM Land Registry advice ahead of SDLT holiday end
As the deadline for the stamp duty land tax holiday approaches, HM Land Registry has pledged to do everything it can to help Conveyancers under pressure to complete residential property transactions before the holiday ends on 30th June. The current stamp duty suspension for properties in England ends on 30th June, followed by a tapered […]
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 […]
Convey Law named Best Medium Employer at Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2021
Convey Law has been named Best Medium Employer at the prestigious Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2021 organised by the Welsh Government and the National Training Federation for Wales. Convey Law, which was founded in 2004 and is now one of the largest specialist conveyancing legal practices in the UK, was recognised for its innovative apprenticeship programme […]