Most firms are buying AI: Here’s what you should be investing in instead
Ed Molyneux argued last week that two AI shifts have compressed the Open Property Coalition’s roadmap. This week he sets out the four-layer stack a conveyancing firm actually needs to take advantage of those shifts, and why most firms are buying the wrong layer first. If last week’s column persuaded you that the agentic […]
They don’t hack in… they log in: Why cyber risk may still be under-estimated in conveyancing
This month, Conveyancing Association director of delivery Beth Rudolf explains why cybercrime leaves every firm exposed and says it’s a risk every member of the team must take seriously. It is always tempting to think cyber-crime and attempts at fraud sits somewhere outside the day-to-day reality of conveyancing, handled by IT teams, insurers or […]
Why excitement around new towns will only go so far when helping deliver government’s housing target
March 2026 saw the government announce the proposed construction of seven new towns which could help deliver a quarter of a million homes. It’s hoped the fresh settlements will secure a large portion of the 1.5 million homes target promised before the conclusion of the current parliament. Knights planning lawyer Hannah Smith shares her thoughts […]
Beyond paper and portals: What digital conveyancing really means for modern law firms
As the rush to adopt AI solutions in the legal sector gathers pace, Ben Mills, commercial director at legal tech company Minerva, explains why the customer experience should lead the way when it comes to deciding the tools to deploy. Digital conveyancing has been a fixture of the legal sector for well over a […]
Making legal technology work harder for law firms
Are law firms making the most of their technology investment? Most businesses only use a fraction of the capability of their existing technology, underestimating what platforms such as Microsoft 365 or their case management systems can already do. As a result, firms often purchase overlapping software that performs similar functions, increasing cost and complexity without […]
What does agentic diligence actually look like?
Ed Molyneux has spent recent weeks explaining what AI can do, where it fails, and why provenance and shared data matter. Now he walks through a day in the life of a buyer’s conveyancer working with an AI agent on a live transaction — and invites the profession to consider what changes and what stays […]
I recently met a contented conveyancer
Rob Hailstone recounts an experience with a contented conveyancer, and learns that an earlier instruction can go a long way when it comes to keeping the professionals happy. A few days ago, I was invited to the head office of a major lender, an eye-opening experience, though that’s a story for another time. Since […]
Why tmGroup is backing the National Property Transaction Network
As digital transformation begins to pick up pace, with high street lenders Lloyds Banking Group and NatWest both announcing digital transaction milestones in recent weeks, property technology provider tmGroup explains why it’s getting behind an industry initiative to standardise data. The announcement last week that Lloyds Banking Group, Connells Group and LMS have launched […]
SRA must ‘regain the trust’ of the profession and get back to the basics of regulation says new CEO
New Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) chief executive Sarah Rapson says the organisation needs to “regain the trust of solicitors, law firms and the wider public”. In a statement published on the SRA website, Rapson said the message is clear from the profession that the regulator is not getting the “basics of good regulation right” and […]
Tax adviser status: What do conveyancers need to know?
What do conveyancers need to know about the pending requirements for those “interacting” with HMRC to register as tax advisers? To take a deep dive into the issue the Today’s Conveyancer Podcast welcomes Ian Quayle, CEO of IQ Legal Training, and Ryan Hannah, Managing Director of Compass. With the registration window opening imminently and clarity […]
Why conveyancing needs a shared system of record
Residential property transactions still run on fragmented documents, duplicated updates and too many competing versions of the truth. The next step forward is not just better workflow, but a trusted shared data foundation that can support clearer collaboration, better judgement and more useful AI. Conveyancing has a truth problem. Not because people are careless or […]
The judgment line
In the fourth of his weekly series, Ed Molyneux introduces the concept that should shape how every conveyancing firm thinks about AI: the judgment line, and which side of it your work falls on. Over the past three weeks I have written about what AI can do, where it fails, and why provenance is the […]
When is a conveyancer a tax adviser? Scope, proportionality and the Finance (No. 2) Bill
Joy Bassett explores the scope of the Finance (No.2) Bill and whether the legislative definition meets policy objectives, and suggests viable alternatives to a catch-all ‘tax adviser’ category. The Finance (No. 2) Bill proposes a mandatory registration regime for those defined as tax advisers interacting with HMRC on behalf of clients. The policy objective […]
Four profit killers I see in high street firms – and what to do about them
Brand and marketing specialist Damian Reed sets out the simple mistakes high street law firms make when it comes to marketing, and explains how to rectify them. I visit a lot of law firms. As head of brand and marketing at QualitySolicitors, it comes with the territory, and I genuinely love it. There is something […]
Why ‘AI says so’ isn’t good enough
In the third of his weekly series, Ed Molyneux explains why provenance – knowing where data came from and how conclusions were reached – is the difference between AI that helps your practice and AI that threatens it. Last week I wrote about where AI excels and where it fails in conveyancing. The response […]