Conveyancing
MAKE RESIDENTIAL CONVEYANCING PROFITABLE. The orderly transfer of the ownership of land is one of the cornerstones of our society. For most people, purchasing a home is the largest investment they will make in their lives. Due to the lack of familiarity with the process and the real and perceived risks, buyers rely on their trusted solicitor to represent them.
However, as conveyancing has commoditised the conveyancer
needs to do more work for less money and as a result many small law firms are surrendering conveyancing work to conveyancing ‘shops’. This needn’t be the case.
Through the introduction of great technology you can make residential conveyancing profitable. A sophisticated case management software system will allow your firm to: Access a library of ‘automated’ and up to date conveyancing legal forms and precedents; Also allowing you to incorporate your own correspondence into the software so that you and your staff produce every document, for every matter, in the same way. This standardisation will bring quality and efficiency. Benefit from integrated searching; Order all your searches and have results returned directly to and from the matter and the cost of the search debited against the matter ledger, turn transactions around faster; provide your clients with detailed costs relating to the searches and dramatically reduce the cost of the administrative work. Ordering all your property searches including the Land Registry, AP1's and SDLT from one provider will completely automate the conveyancing process.
Communicate efficiently with your client; With fixed fee work, unnecessary phone calls eat into your profit margins, avoid concerned calls by keeping your client well informed. A good system allows you to: • Locate matter correspondence in an instant and with ease; • Integrate your email with your case management software allowing you to send and receive emails directly from the matter; • Send your client a ‘pack’ of documents, create a composite pdf of those documents, in the correct order, so that it is easy for your client to understand. Market your conveyancing services; The market is intensely competitive. Most people do their research online before making a purchasing decision, even if they have received a recommendation. If you don’t have a great website that clearly sets out the services you offer and the value that your firm will add to the process, then you are losing work to the firms that do. In conclusion, most buyers prefer to deal with their local trusted lawyer for their conveyancing needs. As a small law firm owner profitability comes with building your conveyancing practice and the best way to do this is through utilising the best technology available. Learn more about building a healthy conveyancing practice. Download your free whitepaper from https://www.leap.co.uk/whitepapers/ n By Peter Baverstock, CEO LEAP UK
AVOIDING THE MINEFIELD OF LAND CONTAMINATION Don’t be caught out by the new statutory guidance on land contamination. Thames Water Property Searches can advise you how to protect your client from unforeseen environmental liabilities.
L ocal authorities now have new guidance on how they decide whether land is contaminated or not. The Contaminated Land Statutory Guidance 2012 has replaced the previous statutory guidance issued under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, although legislation remains unchanged (click here (http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-services/advice/practicenotes/contaminated-land/) to view The Law Society Practice Note dated 13 April 2016). Both Industrial and commercial activity may result in land contamination, which if not properly dealt with, could pose a risk to the public health or the environment. Land is only treated as ‘contaminated land’ for legal purposes if it poses an unacceptable risk but can be a significant issue in a small number of transactions and, if not identified correctly, environmental liabilities may arise. Seeking specialist assistance is essential. We have a range of thorough and reliable property searches (both residential and commercial) that can identify any potential risks and help you protect your client, for example; Envirosearch Residential, Homebuyers, Sitecheck Assess and Site Solutions to name a few.
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Hampshire Legal
WORK WITH US We are the ideal business partner for conveyancers. All your searches are taken care of quickly and reliably. What’s more, additional support is there when you need it, making your professional life simpler. Our main features: •One stop shop: The searches you need with helpful recommendations • Search Gods: Specialist advice from our qualified search experts. • Partners: We will use our extensive trusted network to advise you on how to make your processes run more efficiently n If you would like to find out more about our products or would simply like some advice, please do not hesitate to contact our customer experience team on 0845 070 9148 or visit: www.thameswater-propertysearches.co.uk