DSIT launches AI Growth Lab to target legal services innovation
The Legal Services Board (LSB) and Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) will play key roles in the newly established AI Growth Lab, a government-led advisory sandbox intended to accelerate the development and deployment of AI products and services. Legal services is the first sector to participate in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) […]
How smaller conveyancing firms are gaining an unexpected edge with AI
Dimple Rama from property tech company Orbital says AI can help conveyancers gain a competitive advantage – but before you invest in new technology, you have to know what you want it to do. Consolidation is reshaping residential conveyancing. Larger, volume-led firms are growing their market share, transaction numbers are up and smaller firms […]
Slow take-up of QES at HMLR with just five submissions in Q1
The total number of e-signatures used at HM Land Registry by the first quarter of this year is five, according to a freedom of information request. Just two businesses have started submitting Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) since HMLR invited conveyancers and others to start using them last August. Just one e-signature was used by the […]
How can law firms select the right technology? Part 2: Who is making decisions, and are they the right people?
To help firms select technology that meets ongoing needs, Today’s Conveyancer invited four experts to share their top tips on identifying and implementing the right combination of software. In the first of a three-part series, the experts explore how a fragmented decision-making process and an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality can lead […]
The property sector should not invest into digital ID systems – yet
Should the property industry spend more time and money on implementing digital ID systems which may be rendered obsolete or non-compliant by future legislation? Stuart Young is managing director of Etive, the company leading the MyIdentity scheme, a recognised industry standard for carrying out customer identity verification and anti-money laundering checks of home buyers and […]
Homeowners to be given access to HMLR data in digital property logbook trial
Homeowners will be given direct access to their own Land Registry data as part of a 12-month digital property logbook trial set to begin this month. The trial, which has been coordinated by the Residential Logbook Association (RLBA), will explore how homeowners can securely access the data, with participating logbook providers encouraged to explore innovative […]
Operational drag: The hidden barrier between law firms and sustainable growth
Damian Reed, head of brand and marketing at QualitySolicitors, explains how firms can use AI as an administration asset to improve margins and enhance reputation, rather than view the technology as a problem to be dealt with. There is a peculiar tension sitting at the heart of many independent law firms right now. Revenue […]
How can law firms select the right technology? Part 1: Can we leverage what we have now?
To help firms select technology that meets ongoing needs, Today’s Conveyancer invited four experts to share their top tips on identifying and implementing the right combination of software. In the first of a three-part series, the experts explore how a fragmented decision-making process and an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality can lead […]
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 […]
Draft title reports still leave the hardest part with your team. ngine was built to end that
Most title investigation tools hand the hardest part back to the conveyancing team – ngine doesn’t. When title investigations become a bottleneck, the consequences can move quickly through a conveyancing team. Transactions can stall, leaving fee earners to absorb pressure that was never really theirs to carry, and client timelines extend in ways that are […]
Tech round-up: Firms launch compliance, verification, searches and chat tools
With legal technology developing at pace, Today’s Conveyancer brings all the latest innovation together in a regular round up of news, updates and upgrades for conveyancing firms. Here, in the first of what will be a regular look at all the latest tech news and developments that impact conveyancing practice, we share the latest news […]
Next-gen NLIS to deliver wider property data benefit beyond council searches, Land Data says
Land Data, the regulator of official NLIS conveyancing searches, says the technical foundations for the trusted sharing of authoritative land and property data are now in place following completion of the initial build of Next Gen NLIS – the National Land Information Service hub. NLIS was launched in 2001 to provide a single point of […]
The Open Property Coalition’s roadmap is right: Two things to do this quarter
Ed Molyneux has been arguing that AI in property has a data problem, not a capability problem. Now that CFIT’s Open Property Coalition Roadmap 2026 is published, he reminds us where to ‘skate’ – and offers two specific actions every practice should take this quarter. Canadian ice-hockey legend Wayne Gretzky’s most quoted line is: “You […]
Rebuilt ID platform offers fully rounded customer due diligence compliance
Client due diligence platform Thirdfort has announced the release of a newly rebuilt platform that brings together ID and document verification, know your business (KYB) checks, anti-money laundering (AML) screening, and source of funds analysis. Thirdfort, which works with more than 1,500 regulated businesses across the legal and property sectors, says the rebuild from the […]
CFIT unveils Open Property Roadmap to ‘modernise UK home buying’
The Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology has published a roadmap for open property which it says sets out “a clear and credible pathway to transform the UK’s home buying process”. The Open Property Roadmap was commissioned by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) to enable the digitalisation of the home buying and selling […]
Survey reveals widespread use of unauthorised and open source AI, breaching client confidentiality
A survey has revealed nearly two thirds of fee earners admit to using open source artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, potentially compromising client data and confidentiality. The research by legal software company Access Legal revealed 59% of the 200 UK legal professionals surveyed by Censuswide said they had used unapproved AI applications, like the […]
Confessions of a cyber conveyancer: ‘Forget doing the law – you need to learn how to prompt AI’
As lawyers continue to be bombarded with messages urging them to embrace AI, Today’s Conveyancer columnist Peter Ambrose says it’s time to get on board – but strictly on your own terms. As a property lawyer, you will be used to people assuming you have superpowers that transcend mere mortals. Your crystal ball-gazing skills […]
Nine out of every 10 digital ID checks is successful, data reveals
Almost nine out of every 10 digital ID checks are now successful, according to compliance software company Credas. The company, which supplies software to the legal and property sectors, said its figures demonstrate pass rates of 89.3%, up from 86.1% last year. Cases requiring additional manual checks dropped from 9.1% to between 3-4% annually. Although […]
‘Embrace AI to stay relevant to TikTok generation’ Sir Geoffrey Vos tells lawyers
Sir Geoffrey Vos, the Master of the Rolls, has urged lawyers to embrace technological change and the use of AI to ensure younger generations engage with the justice system. Sir Geoffrey Vos, head of civil justice in England and Wales, said in a speech at The Judicial Institute for Scotland, Parliament Square, Edinburgh, last Thursday, […]
In conversation with Alex Holt and Emma O’Day
As we continue into 2026, there is a noticeable shift in how law firms are thinking about resourcing, risk, and resilience. To explore, we sat down with Alex Holt and Emma O’Day to discuss why more firms are actively considering outsourcing, what’s driving the trend, and what it means for the future of legal finance […]