Searches UK congratulate the winners of the Modern Law Awards
Last night’s event, at The Rum Warehouse in Liverpool, was a hugely successful evening with solicitor and conveyancing firms being rewarded and recognised for their excellence and achievements throughout the year. Searches UK‘s Managing Director, Andrew Stenning, was part of the judging panel that reviewed and mediated the accomplishments of each firm to decide who […]
Lawyer Checker – Innovation of the Year Award winners
Lawyer Checker are delighted to announce we have won the ‘Innovation of the Year’ award at the Modern Law Conveyancing Awards 2016. The award criteria states that an innovative project or product must have either: Transformed a key element of a department’s culture or performances; or Broken new ground in the delivery of services to […]
Building a Profitable Conveyancing Practice
I’ll start this by saying that probably the chief benefit for residential conveyancing is the ability to form relationships with people which, if correctly managed, will help to secure the future of the firm. I’ll be talking in a later blog about how to do that (it is actually quite easy…I built my practice and […]
Robert Bourns becomes new Law Society president
Former President of the Law Society of Bristol Robert Bourns has been named as the 172nd President of the Law Society of England and Wales. Currently a representative of the City of London on the Law Society Council, he succeeds outgoing president Jonathan Smithers. Bourns was previously a senior partner and managing partner specialising in […]
Bolton firm bring in new Licensed Conveyancer
Clough & Wills have brought in a new face to their Bolton Office with Licensed Conveyancer Susan Trudgeon coming on board. Susan has been a licensed conveyancer for seven years. Her previous employers include law firms Russell & Russell, Countrywide Conveyancing Services and Fieldings Porter. Clough & Willis managing partner Shefali Talukdar said: “We are […]
Brexit vote cools new buyer inquiries – RICS
New inquiries are down according for the majority of Surveyors with a net balance of 36 saying inquiries have dropped. Southern regions saw the biggest drop with that number rising to 58%. Anecdotal evidence has put it down to an increase in uncertainty caused by the EU referendum, according to RICS. Supply has also fallen, […]
Disapplying a restriction
Evans v Stoneleigh Pavilions (Birkby) Ltd [2016] EWLandRA 2015_0343 (11 February 2016)
Broker Conveyancing joins TenetLime panel
Broker Conveyancing, the broker-focused conveyancing distributor, announced it has been added to the conveyancing panel of mortgage and protection specialists, TenetLime. From this week, Tenet members will now have access to Broker Conveyancing’s proposition and platform. Tenet is one of the largest adviser support groups in the UK, with non-investment network, TenetLime, offering a wide […]
Barratt Homes highlights increased post referendum economic uncertainty in trading update
Leading house builder Barratt Homes have said they have taken “appropriate measures” to reduce risk following the vote for Brexit. The company’s value has dropped sharply since the vote, with their share price down 24.4% on where it was a month ago however the company believes that despite the general uncertainty, they are in a […]
First time buyers take out 16% more mortgages year on year in May
The number of mortgages taken out by first time buyers rose 16% year on year into May according to the Council for Mortgage Lenders. The 16% rise also means that first time buyers have taken out more mortgages than home movers, with first time buyers taking out 27,500 loans compared with 26,300 for movers. The […]
Sustainable Drainage: a tightening regime requiring duty of care
The Flood and Water Management Act of 2010 sought to enshrine Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and national standards for drainage across both new and existing property. This was replaced by the National Planning Policy Framework in 2012, which has now established consistent rules for drainage on major developments. The National Policy states that for 10 […]
Solicitor struck off for failing to pay £27,600 Stamp Duty on behalf of client
A solicitor has been struck off for failing to pay both stamp duty and Land Registry fees resulting in a flat not being registered to the purchaser four years after the transaction had apparently gone through. To make matters worse, the firm Dalida Rajeshree Jhugroo worked at subsequently folded two months after the stated completion […]
MPs call for reintroduction of HIPs for new build homes
The vast majority of home buyers want surveys on new properties according to a poll by YouGov. The survey also states that new homes are far less popular than older properties, with 49% preferring older properties compared to 19% on new builds. The All Party Parliamentary Group also made a number of recommendations including the […]
An Insidious Threat: The rise and rise of ransomware
Fraudsters are remarkably adept at escaping fraud prevention methods you put in place, particularly when large sums of money are at stake. Only one or two law firms need to be duped to ensure cyber criminals walk away with millions. Every single firm is vulnerable to cyber attacks which can take many different forms, however […]
Think tank proposes extension of right to buy to private renters
Private renters should have the right to buy the homes they live in after three years in order to help address declining home ownership levels according to a report by think tank Civitas. The report states that for the last 36 years, home ownership has been in the decline as private rental activity increased. It […]
Scam Alert Round up 11th July
Here are the latest scam alerts as issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority Unclaimed inheritance emails claiming to be from “Philip Ross & Co Solicitors” The SRA say members of the public have reported receiving emails claiming to be from a “Hon. Barr. Philip Ross (Esq.)” at “Philip Ross & Co Solicitors” looking for recipients […]
The importance of title insurance
Stewart Title’s Commercial Business Development Manager, Robert Kelly, was at Legalex in May giving a talk on the dos and don’ts of insurance from the conveyancer’s point of view – something he’s in a unique position to understand, as he spent 25 years as a commercial and residential property lawyer. He told Jane Common at […]
5 tips for profitable conveyancing
Have you turned away conveyancing work because it’s not delivering profit? Is the time and hassle involved in accurately preparing documents in your current case management software a barrier to accepting the work? If so, it’s time to seriously reconsider conveyancing work. This multi-billion pound industry is slipping away from the small law firms who […]
Law Society express major concerns over Land Registry privatisation
The Law Society have expressed concern over the potential privatisation of Land Registry. It follows an impassioned debate on the matter in the House of Commons in which one junior minister hinted the plans may be scrapped for a second time. The Law Society say the body is a “vital piece of national infrastructure” and have […]
CMA cites lack of pricing transparency in interim Legal services market study
The Competition and Markets Authority says that a lack of upfront pricing information is stopping consumers from comparing legal services. Publishing their interim report as part of a study looking at the supply of legal services, the CMA say just 17% of legal services providers publish prices online with just 22% of individual consumers 22% […]
