An online conveyancing support group is growing in prominence as conveyancers are beginning to speak more openly about the difficulties they are facing on a day-to-day basis.
The group, “Conveyancers for Change”, was launched in May alongside a podcast of the same name. A note on the group’s page explaining their purpose says:
“We are Conveyancers for Change, a group of UK property professionals working to drive positive change in our industry through conversation and innovation.
We are not afraid to have difficult discussions about subjects that matter and we are on a mission to make connections with other professionals within in our industry and beyond.”
Conveyancers for Change, which is ran by innovative firm Aconveyancing, has now reached 571 members. Speaking in a recent LinkedIn post, Samantha Burrows, Senior Associate at Aconveyancing, said:
“As any of my contacts that work in the legal sector know, it is hard work, stressful, and sometimes feels thankless.
However, at Aconveyancing we are trying to lead a change in the industry to discuss hard topics, push for change within the industry and to encourage open conversations to lead that change.
Currently there are podcasts to watch/listen to (a little one with myself too). It would be great to see my connections join the group and even participate – who knows where the next conversation takes us.”
Today’s Conveyancer recently reported on the “constant battle” that conveyancers are fighting as they try to stay on top of their inbox and telephone, which is making it difficult to find balance and complete the actual legal work. One conveyancer remarked on LinkedIn:
“If you do not respond to an email within five minutes you get another and if you don’t answer that in five minutes, the client either calls or appears at your reception demanding to know why you haven’t answered… every day your professional competence is measured on how quickly you reply and not the quality and substance of the advice you provide.”
This comes against a backdrop of the continued slating of the profession in the national press, and more recently in the estate agency press.
Nobody is pleased with the current delays and shortages within the home buying and selling process. What is certain is that groups such as Conveyancing for Change offer a welcome break from the blame game narrative, and will help to support and protect conveyancers in what is a challenging and capricious time for the sector.