With the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) announcing their full endorsement of the CQS, stating that it sees the scheme as becoming a ‘prerequisite’ for membership to lenders’ panels, firms are keen to announce their involvement and protect their lender panel status.
Firms are also keen to use the CQS mark to demonstrate the quality of their work to the public by changing their websites to adopt the new logo. Gordon’s Property Lawyers, Hart Brown Solicitors and Field Seymour Parkes are amongst many firms that have been issuing press releases.
Gordon’s state that they “are extremely proud of the recognition they have received as a result of the rigorous verification and auditing process undertaken by the Law Society.”
But with only 810 firms applying to be accredited and only just under 11% of those accredited the “trusted community” still feels very small and exclusive.
Bob Bhalla, Managing Partner of Gordons, commented: “The CQS accreditation confirms our commitment to efficient processes, professional employees and first class great value service delivered through a high quality solicitor firm.
This provides the optimum comfort to all our Clients and introducers of work, in particular over the process, costs and progress of every case. Our Corporate Remortgage Clients from the banking industry will be further assured of our position as one of the best and most robust volume conveyancing providers in the industry.”
Hart Brown Solicitors in Reading have commented saying
“The aim of the CQS scheme is not only to improve the quality of conveyancing, but also to encourage the public to work with firms that have proven their ability to meet these stringent standards consistently,” says David Knapp, Partner and Head of Residential Property, Hart Brown.
“To be in the first batch of those accredited is a testimony to our excellent quality procedures, the staff involved in the conveyancing process, and also to our accounts team, who also needed to be carefully vetted in order for us to demonstrate compliance with CQS standards.”
Field Seymour Parkes, Managing Partner Philip Seymour said, "we are delighted that we are one of the first firms to have received this accreditation in the Thames Valley. Residential conveyancing is an area of law that this firm has always taken seriously and we applaud the Law Society for its decision to set up this scheme. The CQS will create a clear dividing line between those of us who consider that residential conveyancing is an area of law that should only be handled by properly qualified conveyancers and those who consider that driving the cost down is all that really matters."
If the membership of the CML does use this scheme as a prerequisite for their panels the way in which conveyancing is conducted could change substantially if only a small number of firms are accredited.
Have you achieved CQS? Let us know by contacting us here.
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