Mazur overturned: Legal sector reacts
Law firms and practitioners have responded to the Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn the decision in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys, which limited the extent to which legal executives and paralegals can conduct litigation. Following the Court of Appeal’s judgment, CILEx Regulation said its priority would be to support those who had been affected […]
Two year TA6 saga ends as sixth edition mandatory from today
The TA6 Property Information Form sixth edition formally becomes compulsory from today (Monday 30th March) for Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accredited firms, bringing an end to a two-year saga after efforts to introduce an updated fifth edition resulted in uproar from the conveyancing community. The furore erupted when the fifth edition of the TA6 was […]
Membership opens for initiative which aims to create ‘faster, more certain property transactions’
An initiative which launched last year and set out eight industry commitments to facilitate “faster, more certain property transactions” is opening its doors to membership and inviting property organisations of all sizes to play a part in improving the home buying and selling process. Launched in September 2025, Project 28 is the work of 23 […]
ONS figures suggest modest housing market growth but experts warn confidence will ebb
UK house prices rose by 1.3% in the year to January 2026, down from the revised estimate of 1.9% in the 12 months to December 2025. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, average house prices in the UK decreased by 0.3% between December 2025 and January 2026, compared with an increase 0.4% from the same period […]
Government seeks views on new towns programme, as seven locations revealed with plans to deliver 180,000 new homes
The government is seeking views on its draft new towns programme and has announced seven potential locations for the towns, as it ramps up efforts to build 1.5 million homes during this parliament. The proposed towns across the country come with assurances new infrastructure will include jobs, schools, green spaces and transport links. Each location […]
Private equity invests in fast-growing conveyancing practice
Private equity house Alcuin Capital Partners has invested in fast-growing conveyancing practice Muve and Nova. The investment will drive “continued investment in talent, technology and sales functions to drive its next phase of expansion” said the firm. Muve, a consumer facing brand, and Nova, the business to business brand of Connect2Law featured in the Sunday […]
Charity hike invites participants and hopes to raise £2000
A charity hike in aid of a charity providing life‑changing mental‑health support through nature, movement and professional guidance is being organised by Women in Conveyancing. Open to everyone regardless of gender, job role or hiking experience the group, which offers networking and collaboration opportunities for women working in conveyancing, is organising a hike up the […]
New appointments and expansions from Merseyside to Tunbridge Wells
Five law firms have announced significant appointments and expansions with Napthens naming a new legal director for conveyancing, Thomson Snell & Passmore appointing a new head of real estate, and conveyancing firm Montpellier Legal opening a new office in central London. Tammy Jones has been appointed to lead the residential conveyancing team at Merseyside firm […]
Buyer demand dips amid interest rate pessimism, RICS finds
Buyer demand has dipped amid renewed concerns over the interest rate outlook, according to the latest residential market survey from RICS. The UK Residential Market Survey from the chartered surveyor body shows a housing market still struggling for momentum, with renewed geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty weighing on buyer sentiment and near-term expectations. While some surveyors […]
‘Impossible for LSB to meet objectives’, Legal Services Consumer Panel warns
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has shared its critical response to the Ministry of Justice’s review of the Legal Services Board, claiming its “fragmented and outdated regulatory design” make it impossible to meet its statutory objectives. The Panel – an independent arm of the Legal Services Board – says the LSB is constrained by the […]
SMEs would bear the brunt of proposals to fund access to justice through client accounts – CILEX
Small to medium sized law firms could be unfairly and disproportionately penalised under Ministry of Justice (MoJ) plans to redistribute interest from client accounts to fund access to justice, the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) claims. The proposed Interest on Lawyers’ Client Accounts (ILCA) would represent a “further tax and compliance burden which could […]
Referral scheme aims to put clients in touch with non-UK legal professionals
A new referral scheme aims to provide lawyers with access to vetted expertise in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The scheme – known as J-Law – has been launched by Judicare Law International, a UK-based, SRA-regulated law firm. The model is similar to that used by Connect2Law, the popular referral scheme launched by Simon […]
Separating compliance roles ‘complex and impractical’ Law Society says in client money consultation response
Proposals which would insist on separate post holders for roles of Compliance Office for Legal Practice (COLP), Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration (COFA), Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO), Senior Reporting Officer (SRO) amongst other compliance-related roles in law firms are ‘complex and impractical’ say the Law Society in their response to the Solicitors Regulation […]
Superman Sam tackles the Artic Circle for children’s charity
A principal of a conveyancing firm based in Wales is raising money for a children’s charity by attempting to walk and run 500 kilometres across the Arctic circle in just five days. Sam Hawking, principal of Sam Hawking Property Lawyers, is taking part in the Lapland Arctic Ultra Challenge in the Swedish Arctic and […]
Conveyancers call for wider industry support in the wake of PM Law closure
The personal stories of the impact the PM Law closure has had on home movers has been widely publicised in the national press with families in limbo, and many left paying two mortgages as redemption funds were caught up in the fallout from the stricken firm. A Facebook group set up by those affected now […]
‘Significant digital change just around the corner’, CA annual conference hears
Significant digital change and improvement is happening and will gather momentum throughout 2026, according to a number of speakers at this year’s Conveyancing Association Annual Conference, where the representative body celebrated its 25th anniversary. With the theme of Conveyancing Under the Spotlight, participants heard analysis, viewpoints and input from property industry figures, consumers and digital […]
‘Demand remains resilient’, ONS housing market figures suggest
Average UK house prices increased by 2.5%, to £271,000, in the 12 months to November 2025, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. The annual growth rate is up from 1.9% in the 12 months to October 2025. “UK annual house price inflation slowed in December following the rise in November with the average […]
SRA confirms ‘potential fraud and missing client money’ at PM Law
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has formally confirmed it is investigating “potential fraud, including the misappropriation of client money” at the Sheffield-based law firm PM Law after it unexpectedly closed on Monday 2nd February. In a statement published on the SRA website, Jonathan Peddie, executive director of legal and enforcement, confirmed the regulator is looking into […]
Nationwide accepts first QES on mortgage deed in HMLR, Veyco and Your Conveyancer collaboration
Nationwide has become the first lender to allow a mortgage deed to be signed electronically using a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES). Any Nationwide customer purchasing a property or remortgaging will now be able to sign their mortgage deed electronically if their conveyancer or solicitor uses QES. The development is the result of a collaboration between […]
UK Finance defers launch of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook
UK Finance has deferred the launch of its new Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook, which was due to be live from 2 March. Last week, the trade association for the UK banking and financial services sector dropped plans to introduce a £50 fee for conveyancers to register to use the new handbook. The organisation has now pushed […]