The Ombudsman’s Corner: December 2023
Our approach to dealing with matters arising from the administration of an estate When we changed our Scheme Rules in April, one change that we made was to make it clear that we accept complaints from executors and beneficiaries of an estate. In this month’s blog, I want to set out our approach to dealing […]
1m home moves predicted in 2024
Mortgage lending is predicted to fall to pre-Covid levels according to UK Finance figures released this week. Lending for property purchases has fallen by 23% in 2023, and is predicted to fall a further 8% in 2024 before a small recovery in 2025. The result is that lending will return to levels last seen in […]
Second reading of Leasehold and Freehold Bill
The second reading of the much heralded Leasehold and Freehold Bill is to have its second reading in Parliament today (11th December). The bill was released just weeks after the King’s Speech and was lauded by pressure groups as “momentous,” however it an embarrassing omission from the government, it acknowledged that a key element of […]
The state of play in the property market
Predictions for the 2023 property market continue to vary wildly as economic and social issues continue to create uncertainty in the property market. In the last week Estate Agency membership and training body Propertymark released its review of 2022 and predictions for 2023, RICS released it’s latest industry sentiment report and data from property portals […]
Crisis in local government will slow plans for progress
A local government workforce crisis is threatening vital local services – particularly relied on by those who urgently need support – with more than 9 in 10 councils experiencing staff recruitment and retention difficulties, a new survey reveals. The Local Government Association, which represents councils across England, has published its 2022 Workforce Survey which identifies […]
The (r)evolution of the consumer legal services market
In the first epsiode of the second series of the Today’s Conveyancer Podcast host David Opie is joined by Muve CEO David Jabbari. David was part of one of the first Alternative Business Structures (ABS) to be launched following the Legal Services Act, dubbed “Tesco Law.” At the time it was feared the Act would […]
Today’s Conveyancer Podcast: A year in conversation with the industry
2022 saw the launch of the Today’s Conveyancer podcast which has been steadily growing in popularity over the last 12 months. The podcast has tackled a number of topics including technology, burnout, fees, estate agents, and law firm management. It has profiled individuals and businesses from start-ups to established players in the conveyancing market and […]
Communication, Communication, Communication
In this Today’s Conveyancer podcast host David Opie is joined by lawyer and technology entrepreneur Vanessa Challess. As owner of Tiger Bytez and Tiger Law, Vanessa brings a practical view of the current state of conveyancing with strong words for conveyancers over current service levels and technology adoption. She also warns firms that technology will […]
15 years at the coalface of conveyancing searches
In the latest Today’s Conveyancer podcast David Opie is joined by Scott Reece. With a background in the installation of technology in medical practices, Scott (by his own admission) was somewhat of a novice when he and his wife joined the X-Press Legal Services network in 2007 in a complete change of scenery. Their franchise […]
Nearly 1m transactions from January to August 2022
Transaction volumes topped nearly 1.5m in 2021 and strong demand has continued to drive a buoyant market in 2022 with 908,509 residential transactions up to the end of August 2022 compared to 724,088 in the same period in the previous year. A conveyancing market report from IRN Legal Reports also indicated that the market value […]
“Experian for property” portal aims to give people control of their data
Following the announcement that a Bristol-based start-up Propflo is raising £750k to power the next phase of its product development and growth plans, Today’s Conveyancer speaks with Founder and CEO Luke Loveridge about his plans for creating a consumer focused platform designed to “give people control of their property data to better understand risks, protect […]
Cyber attacks in the legal sector
It can’t have escaped your notice the spate of highly publicised cyber attacks hitting the legal sector, Ward Hadaway, The Bar Council and Bar Standards Board and Tuckers have all been crippled making firms sit up and take notice. Types of attacks hitting the legal sector In the world of cybercrime Law firms’ data is […]
Tech survey highlights divide between “haves” and “have-nots”
A survey has found that over half of respondent conveyancing firms are falling behind when it comes to the adoption of legal technology. The Digital Conveyancing Maturity Index, an “industry-first assessment of the digital capabilities of law firms” say authors InfoTrack, looked at how conveyancing firms are adopting the raft of technology tools available to […]
Defined by a lego character
In this latest Today’s Conveyancer podcast David Opie is joined by Head of Property at Dutton Gregory Solicitors Paul Sams. Paul is better known to so many of us as “Lego Paul”… with his regular Friday musings on social media providing an entertaining and insightful end to the week. Known for his use of alliterative […]
A week of turmoil for the property industry
Following the announcement last week of the immediate cutting of Stamp Duty Land Tax, alongside a host of other tax cutting measures announced by Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, there has been significant conjecture about the state of the economy. The value of the Pound against the US Dollar hit a record low; the interest rate rise […]
The perils of paying lip service to cyber risk
In this latest Today’s Conveyancer podcast, host David Opie is joined by Emma Green, Managing Partner at Cyber Data Law Solicitors. A regular commentator on national radio and television, Emma is an expert on cyber crime and alongside spending her time educating firms on the perils of cyber attack, has also spent time negotiating with […]
Diary of a high street conveyancer; 22nd August 2022
It’s 10am – I’ve just finished my cup of coffee. Before I can even put the mug down, I hear my secretary trying to calm down a client on the phone; said client has just found out that the buyer of her buyer’s house has decided not to proceed. My secretary explains that there is […]
How to increase conveyancing fees
In this episode of the Today’s Conveyancer podcast, host David Opie is joined by solicitor and Director at Big Yellow Penguin Ltd Shaun Jardine to discuss the opportunity for conveyancing firms to charge more for their work. Value is in the eye of the beholder, so they saying goes, and Shaun, an experienced ex-Managing Partner […]
Industry reacts to arrival of Ground Rent Act
Following the arrival of the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act which came into force last week, Today’s Conveyancer has rounded-up the reactions of professionals across the industry. The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act came into force last week (30 June) and is set to restrict ground rents on most new long residential leases in England […]
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 […]
