Property
Private equity takes stake in property management law firm
A 50-person law firm that specialises in property management work has taken investment from LDC, part of Lloyds Banking Group.
Home movers “more confident” about digital information sharing
Confidence among home movers about sharing information digitally – and indeed in the home-buying process improving – is growing strongly, research has found.
Partner transferred £700,000 to client “to avoid negligence claim”
A former partner in a London law firm transferred almost £700,000 of his own money to a client company to avoid a negligence claim.
Conveyancers create new initiative to speed up homebuying
A group of conveyancers have joined forces to create a new initiative aimed at solving practical issues that “clog” the conveyancing process.
Rebuke for law firm that failed to perform undertaking for years
A South London law firm that failed to perform an undertaking given during a property transaction for nearly two and a half years has been rebuked by the SRA.
Government pledges to “simplify” conveyancing
The government has promised to “simplify” conveyancing as part of its home-buying reforms, recognising that the role of conveyancers has “expanded significantly”.
Sales packs on way as government commits to home-buying reform
The government is pressing ahead with reforms to the home-buying process, which it says will cut transaction times by around four weeks.
CLC warns of “regulatory blind spots” on referral fees
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has warned of the risk of “regulatory blind spots” after a review of referral fees revealed shortcomings in firms documenting arrangements.
HMRC finally explains when conveyancers should register as tax advisers
HM Revenue & Customs has finally issued detailed guidance on when conveyancers need to register with it as tax advisers.
CLC practices offer good but busy workplaces, research finds
There are good levels of job satisfaction across the conveyancing and probate communities regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers – but workloads are high.
LeO directs law firm to pay £49k in latest public interest decisions
The Legal Ombudsman directed London law firm Laytons to pay £49,000 in compensation to a client for failing to register her lease extension in the latest batch of public interest decisions.
MPs set out demands to improve home-buying process
Mandatory upfront information, conditional sale contracts and regulation of estate agents would all help improve the home buying process, MPs have said.
Partner struck off for ‘witnessing’ unsigned leases
A partner who witnessed two leases as having been signed in his presence when they had not has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Solicitor’s failure to redeem charges “a warning to profession”
The case of a solicitor who wrongly thought charges on a property had been removed is “a warning that even experienced professionals could make serious errors in judgment under extreme stress”.
Lenders signing up to “fully digital homebuying service”
Lloyds Banking Group has become the first of several lenders to offer mortgage customers access to a “fully digital homebuying service” in a partnership with Connells and conveyancers.
Blog
Is clients’ use of AI destroying legal privilege?
Much has been written about the risks of lawyers misusing AI. However, in my view, the greater challenge lies elsewhere: the routine use of AI by clients themselves.
Does the Lloyd review mark the end of the Legal Services Act?
The Legal Services Board often generates eye-rolls and irritation from the leaders of the frontline regulators it oversees and of the representative bodies attached to them.
A familiar story?
There is no doubt that the rising cost of clinical negligence claims deserves attention. However, the system’s true cost driver is often not the claim itself.
