What do Alternative Business Structures mean for Conveyancers?
Having been lucky enough to attend the Legal Futures Conference yesterday in London it seems apparent, to me, that the legal market could eventually be turned on its head and that there is more potential change coming than there has been in the past. Outside investment seems to mean innovation and more competition in an […]
How bad is the assigned risk pool?
We all know of the horror stories of premium rises for solicitors who conduct conveyancing and that if you can’t buy insurance on the open market the assigned risk pool will at a price enable solicitors to carry on in business but what is the actual cost of the ARP to the solicitors market. Steve […]
Quality Solicitors and WHSmith sign deal
Quality Solicitors (QS) and W H Smith have signed a deal that will see QS members of staff placed in 150 high street stores, eventually rolling out to 500, at what will be known as Legal Access Points. It is not yet clear what qualifications the QS employee will have but the idea is that, […]
Homes Solicitors close their doors
From 7th March this year Homes Solicitors LLP closed their doors, citing the excessive costs of Professional Indemnity Insurance premiums as the reason for closure. Homes Solicitors said that ‘despite not having a claim against us our premiums quadrupled and this made it financially impossible for us to continue practicing under the Solicitors Regulation Authority.’ […]
Countrywide acquires Mortgage Intelligence. Who will do the conveyancing?
Monday saw the announcement that Countrywide have acquired Bournemouth based Mortgage Intelligence, one of the largest mortgage distribution networks, for an undisclosed sum. Countrywide owns CPL one of the largest conveyancers in the country and is one of the UK’s largest and most successful estate agency and property services Group, operating more than 1,300 associated […]
Conveyancing Protocol update
The following was originally published in the Law Society Gazette on Thursday 24 March 2011 by Jonathan Smithers and was also online at www.lawgazette.co.uk. The Law Society and Jonathan have kindly allowed us to reproduce the article for Today’s Conveyancer. The Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) is building up a head of steam. The first firms […]
Less than 80 years left on a Lease?
We’ve probably all done it… sighed at the prospect of dealing with a Leasehold transaction. If you are not keen on Leasehold transactions do you think you have become complacent when you do have to deal with them? Leases for flats generally run for between 99 and 125 years but, as with anything, the longer […]
CQS supported by Council of Mortgage Lenders
The Law Society have now reported that over 700 firms have now applied to join the Conveyancing Quality Scheme and have said that it is still possible for conveyancing firms to apply. At the end of April the Society will start their marketing campaign in support of CQS, following which firms should expect lenders and […]
Biggest threat to small firms is the reduction in lender panels
Today’s Conveyancer were recently able to ask Lisa Draper, Partner at Attwells Solicitors LLP, a few questions about the challenges currently facing the profession. Attwells, a three Partner practice with offices in Ipswich, Suffolk and St Johns Wood, North London, say that conveyancing accounts for over 50% of the firm’s revenue with the Ipswich undertaking […]
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones
There are a lot of different opinions regarding the Law Society’s CQS Scheme, some ‘for’ and some ‘against’. Paul Murden a locum from the South East regularly writes a blog about conveyancing and we thought you might be interested in his views on CQS. These are Paul’s views and are not those of Today’s Conveyancer: […]
What deals are you offering to your first time buyers?
One of the UK’s biggest volume conveyancing solicitors, Goldsmith Williams, is offering a free ‘housewarming gift’ to their first time buyers. Following the recent budget announcement it is thought that this will encourage first time buyers to make the most of the final year of stamp duty exemption. The offer includes 10% off their standard […]
Should preliminary contracts become standard procedure?
A roundtable event hosted by former Head of the Office of Fair Trading and President of the E-Homebuying Forum, Sir Bryan Carsberg, last week saw leading estate agents, solicitors and conveyancers debating on the introduction of preliminary contracts as a standard procedure in the home buying and selling process. Many of the attendees were in […]
