When you run a business that is completely reliant on technology, you’d like to think you’ve got the whole thing nailed down. Stuff like hot stand-by boxes, redundant disks, uninterruptable power supplies (UPS), cloud-based infrastructure – it’s second nature, right? For those “just in case” moments. So there I was on Monday, looking forward to […]Read More
“After so much complexity, the simplicity is bewildering. Not that I’m complaining.” This was in an email I received from a client this week, who, after a difficult leasehold purchase could not believe how simple completion was; she was a cash buyer but she clearly thought that completion was going to be far more […]Read More
In this week’s Today’s Conveyancer podcast, host David Opie is joined by marketing guru, Clare Fanner. Clare has held senior marketing roles in law firms and is well placed to provide her take on what conveyancers should, and shouldn’t(!) be doing, as well as the future of marketing in law firms. In her current role, […]Read More
I am delighted to be writing the first of what will be a monthly column in which I talk about complaints, complaints handling, what we are seeing at the Legal Ombudsman, the way that we work, and how we approach matters that are referred to us. The Legal Ombudsman receive around 7,000 complaints every year […]Read More
New research jointly commissioned by the Legal Services Board (LSB) and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) explores the attitudes of the public and solicitors towards using technology to deliver legal services. It showed that the public is generally willing to use technology that is well-established and familiar to them such as video consultations (66%), and e-signatures […]Read More
I saw that enquiries were being discussed on forums again this week. I did read one article in which it said that the way to deal with this part of the back log is in technology – I am not sure how but I am not very “techy” so am open to being taught how […]Read More
The conveyancer’s view, 20th June 2022 After becoming Prime Minister in 1979, Margaret Thatcher introduced the policy in the Housing Act 1980. It allowed most council tenants to buy their council home at a discounted price (average of 44%). By 1987, over 1,000,000 council houses had been sold to tenants. Michael Heseltine is quoted as saying […]Read More
In this episode of the Today’s Conveyancer podcast David Opie is joined by Ombudsman at The Legal Ombudsman, Jason Chapman. The Legal Ombudsman was introduced in 2010, replacing the Legal Complaints Commission and in the course of discussion Jason reveals that conveyancing is one of the most complained about areas of law In total the […]Read More
“If we lose women in their forties and early fifties, it jeopardises opportunities for future female conveyancers” – Aconveyancing’s director Natalie Moore talks about the importance of menopause awareness in the workplace. With over 50 staff across four offices, I’d say that 95% of the workforce at Aconveyancing is female. I’m not sure other firms […]Read More
I have read articles this week, stating that the relationship between estate agents and solicitors have improved. Now, I am probably going to be very controversial but I, and colleagues in other firms, are still finding it to be a difficult relationship. I think that there is the relationship which exists between conveyancing firms and […]Read More
Rob Hailstone: 40-something years in conveyancing… and still going strong
Founder of the Bold Legal Group Rob Hailstone joins David Opie in this latest Today’s Conveyancer podcast. Rob talks about his 40-plus years in conveyancing and his own journey from running a busy conveyancing practice in Bovey Tracey through to HIP-provider, and on to championing the work of conveyancers up and down the country though […]Read More
Every now and again you get a brilliant idea. When it happens, like your birthday – you feel uniquely special for the rest of the day. You implement it and for a week or so you bask in the glow of your own assumed brilliance. Then it just becomes part of the day job and […]Read More
Celebrating the Jubilee has made me think about house prices over the last seventy years. I always think it is difficult to comprehend the difference in prices over years as the value of money and assets changes so much. I often tell my children that when I was their age, I could buy a packet […]Read More
As Her Majesty The Queen celebrates her unprecedented 70 years on the throne with her Platinum Jubilee, we take a look back at how much the UK Housing Market has changed from when her reign began in 1952 to the present day. 70 Years Ago In the 1950’s, according to Nationwide House Price Index, the […]Read More
As the United Kingdom celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, two onlooking lawyers can’t quite believe the length of Her Majesty’s pro bono stint. All her work is pro bono, right? Not quite: the Crown took home a sovereign grant of £85.9m in 2021. However, this is said to come from revenue generated by the […]Read More
I know I promised the opening episode of my new drama series, The Move, but this week, I was side-tracked onto another television series about lawyers. The series in question ran between 1996 -1997, so I was six years qualified when it aired. It was interesting to watch it again, over 25 years later, not […]Read More
Do conveyancers and estate agents face similar challenges?
In the course of going about our daily routines it is sometimes easy to forget that our counterparts across the property spectrum often face similar challenges. Understanding the challenges of others can inform our own behaviour and our behaviour toward others. As Group Compliance Officer at The Guild of Property Professionals, and Fine & Country, […]Read More
Rowlinsons Solicitors recently announced that Nicky Jones has completed her legal training and has qualified as a solicitor, joining their Commercial Property team. Nicky’s path to this position was, however, unorthodox. “My first career was with in the Criminal Justice Service as a Youth Offending Officer,” said Nicky. “I managed a cohort of young offenders, […]Read More
Alongside discussions regarding additional enquiries, there are also discussions about further digitisation of the conveyancing process. I think that digitisation is a good idea and we only have to think about how the Land Registry Portal has changed the daily working life of a conveyancer to know that there are things that can be done […]Read More
Brian Rogers is well known in the legal services sector as one of the founders of compliance software solution Riliance, and is now Regulatory Director at The Access Group. Having worked with law firms on a range of compliance issues for a number of years, Brian is well versed in the pitfalls and mistakes firms […]Read More

- Confessions of a cyber conveyancer
- Diary of a high street conveyancer; 27th June 2022
- What conveyancers need to know about marketing
- The Ombudsman’s corner: an introduction to LeO
- Lawyers and consumers wary of lawtech, research reveals
- Diary of a high street conveyancer; 20th June 2022
- The conveyancer’s view: “I’ll swap you!”
- The Legal Ombudsman: How to avoid client complaints
- Menopause does not equal the end of a career in conveyancing