Modern Law Conveyancing Supplement

“The demand for property is growing and the supply of available property isn’t growing with it” Peter Rodd, Boys Maughan

Conveyancing: A market on the move Conveyancing Supplement 2015

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03

THE EDITOR’S OVERVIEW W

elcome to the latest of Modern Law’s special supplements. The buoyancy in the UK conveyancing market has not been without its challenges, so in this supplement we take a look at what is on the horizon for practitioners in the coming months and years.

As part of our special exposé, I spoke to our front cover star Peter Rodd, to find out how the market has evolved for clients from a commercial and residential perspective, and whether the market is coping with the upturn in work (from page 6).

I also spoke to Michael Blowers, a Partner in the Residential Conveyancing team at Mogers Drewett about managing high net worth clients and transactions (page 28).

CONTENTS 06-16 The interviews

The conveyancing market has witnessed turbulent times over the last 7 years but it now seems the market is on the up. Charlotte Parkinson, Modern Law spoke to the senior partner at Boys Maughan and former chair of the Law Society Property Section, about how the market has developed over the last 40 years, and whether history is about to repeat itself.

10 Interview with...Doug Crawford

Charlotte Parkinson, Modern Law spoke to the Chief Executive of myhomemove about developments in the housing industry and how the sector is coping with the upturn in demand for conveyancing work.

17-30 The Features

Charlotte Parkinson, Group Editor, Modern Law.

23 Wright Solicitors

25 Gazumping the Problem of Rising House Prices

Stephen Murray discusses the importance of obtaining planning data as part of the conveyancing process.

Two Award winning conveyancing specialists demonstrate results with Proclaim.

21 Are your methods of conveyancing beginning to change?

It is estimated that more than a fifth of UK house buyers have at one point been gazumped and it may not be too surprising that the lawful, but to some unethical, practice is most rife in the South East where house prices are rising the fastest. Jon Gouldsmith reports.

27 Speed up house buying with the personal touch

19 Evidencing success

Wright Solicitors explain why deployment of Ochresoft’s Intelliworks conveyancing workflow was one of the first fruits of their new strategy.

Ray Farrell outlines how PSA searches can cut turnaround times while providing the same quality of search for residential and commercial searches.

28 High net worth conveyancing: quality relationships

18 Planning: what you should know

Charlotte

06 Interview with...Peter Rodd

At the end of this year on 3rd December, Modern Law is launching the all new Modern Law Conveyancing Conference, in partnership with the Conveyancing Association. The conference will take place at Chelsea F.C. and tickets are on sale now, please visit our website: http://www.mlconveyancingevents.co.uk/ for more details.

Thank you to all the contributors who have helped make this supplement possible. If you have any feedback or ideas for a future supplement, please get in touch! I can be reached via 01765 600909 or charlotte.parkinson@ charltongrant.co.uk

Tony Lillystone explains why the perception that conveyancing is stuck in a time warp, where little has changed since Queen Victoria ruled couldn’t be further from the truth.

Charlotte Parkinson, Modern Law spoke to the Partner, Residential Conveyancing at Mogers Drewett about managing client expectations in high net worth conveyancing transactions and introducing an accreditation scheme which would make it easier for clients to identify firms which are offering truly exceptional service.

30 Key Conveyancing

Why Key Conveyancing turned to Intelliworks from Ochresoft to achieve performance consistently, to be competitive and to remain profitable.

Modern Law Magazine Project Director Kate McKittrick kate@charltongrant.co.uk Contact 01765 600909

Group Editor Charlotte Parkinson charlotte.parkinson@charltongrant.co.uk Business Development Manager Martin Smith martin@charltongrant.co.uk

ML // Conveyancing Supplement 2015

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The Interviews

05-16

The Interviews

05

‘Money laundering regulations impose all sorts of obligations on us and regulation has changed’

Interview with... Peter Rodd

07

Interview with...

Peter Rodd The conveyancing market has witnessed turbulent times over the last seven years but it now seems the market is on the up.

Charlotte Parkinson, Modern Law, spoke to the senior partner at Boys Maughan and former chair of the Law Society Property Section, about how the market has developed over the last 40 years, and whether history is about to repeat itself.

Q A

What have been the biggest challenges for conveyancing practitioners over the last seven years following the financial downturn in 2008?

The biggest challenge for individual conveyancers has been retaining their employment following the market crash because a lot were made redundant. For firms, it has been surviving in very difficult market conditions.

Not only did the market crash but the CQS scheme was introduced and panel management became complicated because those that didn’t already have Practice Management standards had to establish them to gain CQS accreditation.

There have been challenges for small firms in particular as some were struck off panels, often for no apparent reason, and usually left with no right to appeal. These firms will have found the downturn particularly challenging but there have also been a number of mergers and those firms who have completely disappeared.

Q A

How has the market evolved for clients (commercial and residential) over this time?

The commercial market suffered even more than the residential market because businesses throughout the country were struggling, which meant nobody was looking to acquire commercial property. Both residential and commercial markets tend to be fairly regional. Speaking from a high street perspective,

‘Most firms are struggling to find good conveyancers as there is a shortage’

the type of commercial property we deal with is often smaller scale, such as pubs, shops, clubs and restaurants but we are also increasingly handling large commercial transactions, which used to be mainly carried out in the City. From a regional perspective, the market was very quiet for a long time but is now making a convincing recovery here in Kent.

Q A

What are the main changes to conveyancing practice that you have noticed since you started your career in 1976?

It is unrecognisable. When I first started, a conveyancing file when the matter was finished was only about a quarter of an inch thick, mortgage instructions came on a single sheet of paper, there was no CML handbook, money laundering regulations hadn’t been invented, mortgage fraud was unknown, most clients were local, and we had probably acted for them or members of their family before. Now a conveyancing file at completion is more likely to be an inch and a half thick, mortgage instructions are like a book, and there is a CML book; although it is online, it is still a book! Mortgage fraud is a major challenge, money laundering regulations impose all sorts of obligations on us and regulation has changed, as now we have a Code of Conduct which looks very much at the result, not the process leading to the result.

We can follow what would have been an old rule, but still end up with the wrong result and therefore be criticised because the outcome isn’t what the client would have expected. We also have the Legal Ombudsman and clients are much more likely to complain. Clients also used to make appointments and now they turn up and expect to be seen immediately and are far more demanding.

Clients want to move more quickly, although in practice the system has become slower because of the factors I have mentioned.

ML // Conveyancing Supplement 2015

08

Interview with... Peter Rodd

‘I suspect that a diminishing number of conveyancers are qualified solicitors’

Q A

What are the similarities/ differences between commercial and residential transactions?

Transactions generally have become more diverse. There was a time when small commercial transactions used to be very much the same as residential matters but with a few additional factors, such as assignments of good will and longer contracts, but it wasn’t enormously different.

Now, residential conveyancing has taken on its own procedures with the transaction forms introduced by the Law Society. For the most part, the market is now much more process driven and there are many people who do not necessarily understand the law associated with residential conveyancing. Commercial property transactions are still of a more manual nature, whereas residential transactions, specifically ‘bulk conveyancers’ or ‘conveyancing factories’, will use a computer programme to process the transaction from start to finish, giving the people running the transaction very little discretion in terms of what they do and how they do it.

Q A

Is the conveyancing market coping with the upturn in work following the exit of many practitioners?

Most firms are struggling to find good conveyancers as there is a shortage. This is resulting in the salaries paid to residential conveyancers rising, as firms have to pay more to attract the right people. This, of course, mirrors what happened after the last conveyancing crash and as soon as the market fell, those salaries were no longer affordable and a lot of people were made redundant. It looks as though the cycle is repeating itself, as

it did at the end of the eighties going into the nineties, when conveyancing was booming. I remember acting for one client who was buying a property in Cambridge who was desperate to exchange because the price was going up every week!

Q A

Is conveyancing still an attractive career prospect to people entering the profession?

I suspect that a diminishing number of conveyancers are qualified solicitors. There might be a solicitor who oversees a conveyancing department, but more and more residential transactions are being carried out not by solicitors, licensed conveyancers or CILEx accredited individuals.

Q

Do you feel government schemes such as Help to Buy offer a viable and long-term solution for residential property purchases and are there any potential pitfalls associated with such schemes?

The problem is one of demand and supply; the demand for property is growing and the supply of available property isn’t growing with it. In any economic situation where there is a demand over supply, price rises. Property prices have risen higher than people’s salaries and properties have become unaffordable. The government schemes introduced to try and help people get onto the property ladder are not a long-term solution for the fact that we don’t have enough property for those that want to own it.

A

Q A

What is the biggest current threat to the UK property market?

The economic situation is the greatest threat to the market as a whole, because although

‘The demand for property is growing and the supply of available property isn’t growing with it’ ML // Conveyancing Supplement 2015

the UK economy is stronger than many, we still have a massive debt problem. Confidence is still weak in some areas and if that is lost, the market could crash again. The Bank of England has been talking about increasing interest rates at the start of next year, and I suspect that will happen. What I would expect is that there will be a quarter percent increase, which the Bank will watch and assess the impact it has on the economy. If there are no adverse reactions, it might then nudge it up by another quarter percent, and that is the way it will progress. They will need to do it very gradually because of the limited confidence and the Bank will be wary that they don’t push interest rates up too high, thereby causing an economic problem because people struggle to pay the mortgages they have got. Other threats include mortgage fraud, cyber fraud – where we are now seeing e-mails intercepted and bank details changed, and of course money laundering, which is a major issue because firms can suffer great reputational and regulatory penalties. The responsibility here is on the firms themselves, and they have an obligation to train their staff, and the individual members of staff have to comply with the regulations. We have to ask our clients questions and often the hardest question to ask is “where is the money coming from?”

The fact the money is in a client’s bank doesn’t mean it is legitimately there. We almost have to treat our own clients like criminals in the sense that we have to ask questions and need documentary evidence to back up what they say, simply because if it emerges that the money wasn’t obtained under the regulations, we have protected ourselves by evidencing we have fulfilled our obligations.

Q A

You are the immediate past Chair of the Law Society’s Property Section, what did you learn during your time as Chair?

That throughout the country there are an awful lot of hardworking conveyancing solicitors who are doing their best to supply a service often at a price that is

Interview with... Peter Rodd

09

‘The fact the money is in a client’s bank doesn’t mean it is legitimately there. We almost have to treat our own clients like criminals in the sense that we have to ask questions and need documentary evidence to back up what they say’ hardly economic because the price in real terms has been driven down over many years. Transactions are also much more complicated and far riskier than they ever used to be.

Peter Rodd Peter Rodd is the Senior Partner of 13 partner award winning high street practice, Boys & Maughan Solicitors, based in East Kent. He joined the firm in 1976, was admitted as a solicitor in 1978, became a partner in 1981 and senior partner in 2012. He was appointed a Public Notary in 1989.

Peter is past president and, for the last fifteen years, secretary of the Isle of Thanet Law Society.

He is immediate past Chair of the Law Society Property Section, the Law Society Council member for the Commercial Property Seat, a member of its Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) technical panel and a former member of the Council Membership Committee. Peter also sits on the Law Society Money Laundering Task Force, and is a past member of the Society’s Home Information Pack and e-Conveyancing Task Forces.

Peter Rodd has written numerous articles for various legal publications relating to property matters, mortgage fraud, money laundering and regulation and is a regular lecturer on these subjects. He is joint author of the CQS Toolkit and of the compulsory Mortgage Fraud Training Course for CQS firms.

Q A

What are your predictions for residential and commercial conveyancing in the coming years?

Commercial conveyancing will stay firmly in the hands of qualified practitioners, because it doesn’t lend itself to being easily processed. I suspect that more and more, residential conveyancing will be carried out by bulk conveyancers, largely because in many cases, they may be owned or have a very close working relationship with large estate agents, who refer work to those large bulk conveyancers and receive substantial referral fees for doing so. 40 years ago, most conveyancing was dealt with locally, now people will find themselves being steered possibly three or four hundred miles away to large practices. I am not convinced that these models provide a better service or better value for money. There is very often an advantage in having local knowledge. The other big change that has occurred is that people now want indemnity insurance for any minor issue that might occur. There are now many indemnity policies and a multi million-pound industry, which in the vast majority of cases will never ever pay out. High street practices have a major part to play in the future of this industry but they need to recognise that they need to raise their game in terms of the quality of the service they provide and their place in the market. Communication with the client is the key; people don’t understand the process and want to understand what is going on. If the conveyancer stays in regular touch with their clients, they will be happier and they will have received a better service.

Outside of the office Peter is a Freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman in The Worshipful Company of Scriveners. He is also an enthusiastic but uninspired golfer whose handicap would benefit from a shorter working week.

ML // Conveyancing Supplement 2015

Interview with...Doug Crawford

11

Interview with...

Doug Crawford Charlotte Parkinson, Modern Law spoke to the Chief Executive of myhomemove about developments in the housing industry and how the sector is coping with the upturn in demand.

Q A

How does the myhomemove/Premier Property Lawyers partnership work?

myhomemove and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Premier Property Lawyers, operate within a unique Alternative Business Structure (ABS), becoming the first ABS to be licensed in the UK under the Legal Services Act. Premier Property Lawyers focuses on delivering consistent, high quality conveyancing to tens of thousands of clients each year, while myhomemove provides marketing, sales, technology, infrastructure and operational staffing support. The overall business has been recognised across the industry for its service excellence and innovative approach to conveyancing, winning 16 awards in the last 2 years, including ‘Best ABS over 100 employees’ at the Modern Law Awards in 2013 and 2014.

Q A

How has the upturn in the conveyancing market impacted myhomemove as a business?

During the past few years we have experienced a significant increase in demand for our services, which is largely due to the expertise of our people and our commitment to providing a first-class conveyancing experience for our clients. In order to respond to the upturn in the conveyancing market we have opened up a new operations centre in Manchester, to grow our capacity and employ an additional 200 conveyancers over the next 2 years. We have experienced year-on-year growth, completing more transactions per year than any other UK conveyancer and we have continued to innovate to streamline the conveyancing process, by investing in

technology and our people. eWay, our revolutionary online case-management service, has enabled us to make the conveyancing process quicker, completing cases 21 days faster than the national average. In terms of capacity, myhomemove is able to take on more cases, as eWay allows clients to upload documents, make payments and action their case 24/7, rather than relying on the post. We also created our unique Introducer eWay in 2013, which gives our introducers greater visibility of the progress of their clients’ cases and provides a seamless conveyancing service for clients. As capacity within the industry became stretched with the increasing demand for service, myhomemove launched its CPD accredited Learning and Development Academy, which is recognised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to deliver professional training and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers as an accredited college. Through the Academy, we can offer our conveyancers extensive legal training and help them progress their careers through the myhomemove Conveyancing Career Ladder. We can also offer CPD accredited courses to external candidates, helping to raise the standard of conveyancing across the industry.

Q A

How has the sector as a whole coped with the upturn in business following the financial crash?

Housing transaction volumes following the financial crash took time to rebuild. As demand for conveyancing services depleted during the recession, capacity within the market as a whole dropped, as smaller firms struggled to stay in business and conveyancers sought other lines of work. The recession also impacted on the capacity in other areas of the

‘The industry is facing pressure as capacity has not increased at the same pace, meaning there are arguably more transactions taking place than there are professionals within the industry to handle them’ ML // Conveyancing Supplement 2015

12

Interview with...Doug Crawford

‘Consumers increasingly expect an on-demand online service, with the flexibility and control that is offered in other sectors, such as retail’ industry, including surveying, estate agency and mortgage lending. Now that demand has started to grow, the industry is facing pressure as capacity has not increased at the same pace, meaning there are arguably more transactions taking place than there are professionals within the industry to handle them. In the last three years, there has been an ongoing trend in consolidation towards larger conveyancing specialists and this is likely to continue as demand increases. Despite law being one of the most widely studied subjects in the UK, the number of people who graduate with a specialism in property law is still relatively small and finding experienced conveyancers post-crisis is increasingly difficult.

Q A

So what is myhomemove doing to recruit and retain experienced conveyancers?

Our employees are at the core of our success. They deliver a first-class conveyancing service to tens of thousands of people each year, so we invest heavily in their development and well-being. In 2013, we launched the myhomemove Learning and Development Academy, to give our people the necessary support to develop their careers, enabling them to deliver technicallyaccurate conveyancing combined with exceptional customer service.

In addition to this, we also offer training contacts to our conveyancers, helping them to become qualified solicitors and raising the standard of conveyancing within the industry, as the number of qualified specialists practising in the sector remains relatively low. We also provide a comprehensive rewards and benefits programme, which includes recognition schemes, bonus incentives and free events, which is part of our ‘Great Place to Work’ initiative. By engaging employees with the business and rewarding their contributions towards its success, we are able to retain and train a relatively large workforce, helping to increase our capacity to meet growing consumer demand for our service.

ML // Conveyancing Supplement 2015

Q A

What is the biggest challenge myhomemove faces as a business in the current environment?

Consumers increasingly expect an on-demand online service, with the flexibility and control that is offered in other sectors, such as retail. myhomemove has achieved its position as the market-leader through a number of innovations that are tailored to meet the specific needs of its clients and introducing customers.

Through multiple innovations, we have streamlined the conveyancing process, offering our clients a modern legal service that is in line with changing consumer expectations. The challenge myhomemove faces in the current market is to continue to increase our capacity whilst ensuring we keep delivering an exceptional service that is comparable with leading online service providers in other sectors.

Q

Do you think government schemes, such as Help to Buy (launched in 2013), have had a positive impact on the housing market, for first time buyers and those already on the housing ladder?

A

Rising house prices and low wage growth have made it harder for first-time buyers to get onto the property ladder, so they need all the help they can get. The Help to Buy scheme has a proven track record of success and is a popular policy that delivers results. Prior to the election, we polled the property professionals that were attending our annual Housing Conference, to measure whether they would support an extension to the policy. 80% of them said they would, so this is a clear indication that the industry feels it is a good scheme to have in place, in order to help buyers get onto the property ladder1. Help to Buy is also a popular scheme with the public, as 65% of Britons backed the plan in a recent YouGov survey2. Other government initiatives, including the Stamp Duty Land Tax reforms last December, are helping first-time buyers get onto the property ladder, as well as helping

those who are already homeowners to buy properties that would have previously been too expensive.

Q A

What impact have the Stamp Duty reforms had on the housing market to date?

There have been a lot more winners than losers from December’s Stamp Duty overhaul. Our research3 indicates that UK homeowners had saved a hefty £864 million in charges by the end of June 2015, with the average homeowner benefitting to the tune of £1,400. These changes have also had a positive impact on the overall housing market. Step changes in price at different Stamp Duty thresholds have been reduced, making a more even market; and the savings on cheaper properties are great news for first-time buyers looking to get on the housing ladder. The issue with the old system was the significant increase in tax at the different price brackets, meaning many homeowners could not afford to own properties above a certain price. myhomemove has been campaigning for changes to Stamp Duty for a number of years, due to the positive impact a restructure would have on the market. The reforms have brought aspiration back to the market, especially for those homeowners that currently have properties in the middle price range. The hope is that we will continue to see a trend of movement up the property ladder, freeing up properties at the lower end of the scale to further help first-time buyers who are struggling as a result of the lack of housing stock.

Q

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) recently revealed that UK property values increased by 5.7% in the year to May, up from 5.5% in April, with the average house price in the UK now £274,000. Do you expect this trend to continue?

A

The current market conditions would suggest that this trend is likely to continue. With lenders continuing to offer mortgages at low

Interview with...Doug Crawford

13

‘The [Stamp Duty] savings on cheaper properties are great news for first-time buyers looking to get on the housing ladder’ interest rates and the announcement by Mark Carney that these rates are likely to rise later in the year, buyers are trying to take advantage of the deals that are currently on offer.

However, the rate at which people are looking to sell their property isn’t matching the demand and the housing stock issue is continuing to stifle the market.

Q

The government have announced a series of planning reforms in a bid to build more houses in the UK. Will this be a positive step for the housing market, or could it be a point of contention with local councils over planning rights?

A

A report released by Rightmove towards the end of July, shows that the number of houses that are being put on the market is 10.6% below the rate at which they were a year ago, so there is a clear need for new houses in the market. According to Rightmove’s report, the first-time buyer sector has suffered the most as a result of the lack of supply; and the properties that are most in demand from buyers are those at the lower end of the price scale, with many buyers seeking out smaller properties with two bedrooms. Any government initiative that increases house building should be viewed as a positive step in increasing supply. The only realistic prospect for large-scale increases in house building is through reducing the planning hurdles that currently hold back developers.

Q A

What is the in the pipeline for myhomemove over the next year, are there plans for further growth?

Our ambition is to complete 100,000 transactions per year by 2017 and to help the business grow, we have some exciting projects coming to fruition over the next 12 months. myhomemove has pioneered the use of innovative technology in legal services for over a decade and to continue our efforts to revolutionise the conveyancing process, we will be launching an update to our online case-management service, eWay, later this year.

The update is mobile-first, meaning our clients will be able to manage their conveyancing case on the move from their smartphone or tablet. It will also give them greater transparency of their case’s progression by using the unique eWay dial, which lets them know how far they are from completion and any actions that are required to move the transaction forward. Consumers expect a legal service that matches the best of what they receive in other sectors and for businesses to be successful in the modern age, they need to be consistently innovating.

1. Survey of 159 estate agents, mortgage lenders, brokers and other property professionals attending the myhomemove annual conference on 20th May. Research carried out in April/May 2015.

2. 2015 Homeowners Survey carried out by YouGov with a sample size of 2,184 adults. Survey commissioned by the Homeowners Alliance and myhomemove. Fieldwork was undertaken between 6th – 9th March 2015.

3. myhomemove research, June 2015.

Doug Crawford Doug was appointed as CEO of myhomemove, in April 2012. He brought with him a wealth of experience and a track record of delivering ambitious plans for future growth.

He is passionate about leading the transition of companies into exceptional, customer-service led and values-based organisations, in order to differentiate them in often crowded and rapidly changing markets.

Before taking up his position at myhomemove, Doug led several financial and insurance industry focused companies, including his role as Chief Executive of Personal Touch, a financial services network. myhomemove is the UK’s leading provider of mover conveyancing services. Under Doug’s leadership, the company has experienced year-on-year growth and an increase in its transactional volumes, completing more cases per year than any other UK conveyancer (HMLR Data).

In recognition of his efforts, Doug was named as ‘Conveyancing Business Leader of the Year’ at the British Mortgage Awards for the second time in 2015 and his direction has helped the company to win a total of 16 industry awards in the last 2 years.

ML // Conveyancing Supplement 2015

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The Features

17-31

The Features

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18

The Features

Planning: what you should know Don’t put yourself at risk of negligence claims, get up to date planning information from PSG. Stephen Murray discusses the importance of obtaining planning data as part of the conveyancing process.

I

t’s surprising how many conveyancers still believe that adjoining and abutting planning applications are revealed as standard within a Local Search, with some thinking that the search will include applications up to 200 metres away. In past times, when plotting sheets were examined as a matter of course in the compilation of a Local Search, some planning applications may have been reported but this was inconsistent and relied on an individual’s judgement as to whether relevant or not.

Future development in the vicinity of a property, be it a new housing estate, supermarket, windfarm or infrastructure project will undoubtedly impact on the value of a property in one way or another and is a prime concern for all property purchasers and their lenders. Planning data is now available electronically via geocoded systems and specialist companies have evolved to acquire this data and make it available to a variety of sectors for a range of uses.

Planning reports for use in real estate transactions are a highly affordable and

valuable tool to support due diligence and protect the best interest of the client. However, it is important that the attention of a client is drawn to anything of interest, or that may require further investigation, which could have an adverse effect on the value and/or quiet enjoyment of the property.

In June, international law firm Bird and Bird lost a professional negligence case and were ordered to pay nearly £2m in damages. It was found liable for breach of duty after failing to disclose information pertaining to the development of an academy school development in the vicinity of a £25m seven-bedroom property on which a deposit had already been paid. In court, the judge ruled that Bird and Bird were liable for legal fees and a share of the hefty £2.5m deposit when the planning application was later discovered in reports and the sale aborted.

A wide range of planning and infrastructure reports to assist the conveyancer in revealing any existing planning applications are readily

available. In addition, there are now predictive development reports, which will assess the likelihood of any future potential for development in the area surrounding a property. These reports can also help to identify hidden value.

Ask yourself...wouldn’t you want to know?

Stephen Murray is a Director at Conveyancing Search Specialists PSG. For more information on any products and services from PSG: Email: customerservics@ propertysearchgroup.co.uk Visit: www.psgconnect.co.uk or Telephone: 01226 246 644

The Features

19

Evidencing success Two Award winning conveyancing specialists demonstrate results with Proclaim.

Proclaim provides award winning property expert with superb flexibility for over a decade

Award-winning Conveyancing specialist thanks Proclaim for enhanced client service

Goldsmith Williams Solicitors – winner of the ‘Highly Commended Legal Partner’ in the Bridging and Commercial Awards – has utilised Eclipse’s Proclaim Practice Management software for over a decade.

The firm now employs over 150 staff and offers expert legal advice in Conveyancing, Personal Injury, Probate and Finance.

Based in Enfield, AVRillo is a family-run practice specialising in Conveyancing. The firm, established in 1989, is still setting the standards within the legal sector with its multi-award winning services. In addition to being an Investors in Business winner and a Sunday Times Award winner, AVRillo’s reputation for quality and expertise has been rewarded by the Law Society, which has granted AVRillo the prestigious ‘Quality Conveyancing’ accreditation, as well as the ‘Legal Excellence’ award.

The Challenge: Goldsmith Williams was experiencing rapid growth within its services and required a robust and adaptable IT solution that would scale up in line with ambitious plans.

The Solution: In 2002, the firm chose to implement a Proclaim Practice Management Software solution. The flexibility of the system allowed Goldsmith Williams to tailor the solution in line with business needs and provided a fluid and reactive process that guaranteed cost-effectiveness.

In addition, FileView was implemented which allowed the firm’s clients access to case status and provided real-time, secure data. FileView enabled Goldsmith Williams to offer around the clock support to clients, without increasing staff numbers or hours.

Furthermore, Proclaim’s import/export routines are utilised extensively by the firm to integrate with other Proclaim users so case data can be instantaneously shared between Goldsmith Williams and its partners, creating and cementing strong relationships within the market The Results: As an Eclipse client for over 10 years, Goldsmith Williams has witnessed Proclaim’s ability to evolve. The constant upgrades of the system have allowed for growth and development alongside the practice and its requirements. Today, Goldsmith Williams is one of the UK’s leading national law firms. The firm has the ability to rapidly adapt to any client needs, changes in legislation and as yet unknown requirements to the legal sector, thanks to Proclaim’s inherent flexibility.

“Proclaim stood out to us as being both resilient and incredibly flexible. A decade later, the constant upgrades and the inclusive toolkits mean we can still rapidly adapt to the legal sector and tailor the software in line with our development. In short, Proclaim is utterly vital to us as a complete business tool.”

Eddie Goldsmith, Founding Partner at Goldsmith Williams Solicitors.

The Challenge: AVRillo was looking for a Practice Management System that could grow and develop in line with changing client and business demands. The PMS needed to be flexible and allow for control over the firm’s processes and working practices.

The Solution: A Proclaim Practice Management Software solution was selected and is utilised throughout the firm.

The inbuilt toolsets mean staff can easily organise or create changes to workflows and continuously develop the system without the need of an IT specialist.

In addition, AVRillo decided to implement Eclipse’s TouchPoint system, to provide clients with a completely personal ‘selfservice’ experience and allowing the delivery of bespoke realtime data via any smart device and any web browser.

The Results: Since implementing Proclaim, AVRillo has managed to reach ISO International Management standards, become Investors in Business and been able to structure its commitment to client service across the entire firm.

The Practice wanted to introduce a mobile application for its clients, but quickly realised Proclaim’s TouchPoint could offer much more, and would allow for the flexibility that clients demanded. TouchPoint will provide complete transparency AVRillo’s clients can check on their cases and documents at any point and from anywhere. The flexibility and transparency of the system will provide clients with the full conveyancing picture, and a greater understanding of the entire process, using plain-English explanations and useful FAQs. “AVRillo is a Sunday Times Award winner, with thanks to Proclaim which has allowed us to structure our commitment to customer services across the entire firm.”

Angelo Piccirillo, Partner and Co-founder of AVRillo.

For further information, please contact Darren Gower, Marketing Director at Eclipse Legal Systems, part of Capita plc, via: darren.gower@eclipselegal.co.uk or call 01274 704100.

ML // Conveyancing Supplement 2015

stand out Publishing | Events | Design | PR | Marketing

01765 600909 www.charltongrant.co.uk

The Features

21

Are your methods of conveyancing beginning to change?

Tony Lillystone explains why the perception that conveyancing is stuck in a time warp, where little has changed since Queen Victoria ruled, couldn’t be further from the truth.

T

he impression that conveyancing is stuck in a time warp is reinforced by those solicitors who apparently want to return to the ‘good old days’, when everything was done slowly and solicitors told their clients when they would be lucky enough to complete their purchase.

But today our clients – or customers or consumers – expect quick and efficient service. And why shouldn’t lawyers adapt to the 21st century? The pressures on modern conveyancers mean that they should take advantage of the latest technology.

Do you use a case management system?

Case management systems are hardly new but there is still opposition to them from some practitioners. Early versions of such systems may have provided little more than a database of clients’ details but modern systems can provide a vital tool for the busy conveyancer.

Some fee-earners complain that case management systems are inflexible and force them to work in a certain way. They also complain that they remove the need for all legal skills and reduce conveyancing to nothing more than a series of standardform letters and documents without reference to the complexities of a particular case or a client’s needs.

Fee-earners do have to learn how to use the software but a good modern system can be a powerful tool. It can take care of the routine work, thus

freeing the conveyancer to concentrate on the more important legal work.

Should you?

These systems should be able to produce documents appropriate to an individual case based on information supplied by the case-handler. Rather than just spewing out a standard form of pre-contract enquiries containing a lot of irrelevant queries, a good system should produce only relevant queries after the fee-earner has examined the title and other information supplied by the seller.

Case management systems will ensure that important matters and time-limits are not overlooked. They can also help with automated preparation of completion statements (something many conveyancers sometimes struggle with!) and ensure that post-completion work is correctly completed.

While case management systems are an in-house matter for individual firms, the idea of handling all aspects of property transactions electronically, or e-conveyancing, has been widely considered.

It’s all about communication One of the most common complaints from consumers is that solicitors don’t let their client know what is (or is not) going on. So good – and prompt communication between solicitors and all others involved is vital.

Another way that conveyancing has changed radically in recent times – and something to which the old guard objects – is the spread of internet marketing.

But for most people, making an internet search is the usual way to buy goods or services. This applies to conveyancing as much as to anything else.

‘A good system should produce only relevant queries after the fee-earner has examined the title and other information supplied by the seller’

‘Solicitors across the country are on the panel providing clients with someone who is more local to them rather than some anonymous firm who knows nothing about their area’ Your potential clients are heading online Fitzalan Partners have used their skills to create several websites dedicated to marketing conveyancing and related services. The conveyancing is carried out by one of several well-established firms of solicitors from their panel.

Clients using sites such as Fridaysmove and Homeward Legal are told right at the beginning exactly how much their legal costs will be. And they get the benefit of a top-class firm at very competitive rates.

Solicitors across the country are on the panel providing clients with someone who is more local to them rather than some anonymous firm who knows nothing about their area.

Panel solicitors benefit because they receive a steady flow of cases without having to deal with their own marketing – and they provide services under their own name rather than having to use another ‘brand’ name foisted on them.

Fitzalan Partners have enjoyed a mutually successful relationship with the conveyancing solicitors on their panel for some years and their business looks set to grow in the future.

Tony Lilleystone, Legal Commentator for Fitzalan Partners.

ML // Conveyancing Supplement 2015

I

Conveyancing

Serious about conveyancing growth and efficiency.

Intelliworks manages more conveyancing cases each month than any other software. Our customers use us to grow their conveyancing teams without increasing their risk. Intelliworks means more satisfied customers and happier, less stressed conveyancing teams.

Over 200 law firms are already using Intelliworks to manage more than 120,000 live cases. One firm improved gross profit by 45%.

Only Intelliworks gives you: ●

Legal library: your firm’s central, fully-maintained bank of hundreds of documents, letters and forms; maintained by lawyers for regulatory and Law Society compliance

● Smart Updates: every Intelliworks document with every team member throughout your organisation, always up to date ●

Risk Management by design: risk management isn’t just an extra step we add to our software; it’s the way we build our products

Intelliworks Conveyancing Managed process from quote to completion and on to the next case ● Management of risk and performance, monitoring critical dates such as OS1 and mortgage expiry ● Integrated form production. TR1 and AP1 production time reduced by 95% ● SDLT is 90% faster than using HMRC website

●

Risk Management ● Intelliworks manages risk and prevents claims across teams and offices. The Intelliworks reporting suite of over 70 reports monitors everything from team workload to individual performance ● Report on expiry dates, case progress and deadlines to help you control your risk ● Only Intelliworks gives you smart reporting, searching your case data for one of 11 different scenarios which could cause a claim

What our customers say: “Fee earners can be precious about their precedent letters so it was a huge relief to find it all there in one tidy package. It has enabled us to build teams much more quickly. Our team has grown by 600% in less than three years." - John Turner, Key Conveyancing "The key was acceptance by the team, who were a very tight-knit unit. They needed to be reassured that this was an enabling tool... they loved what they saw, not just because it very easy and logical to use, but also because they could add value where it really mattered... we’ve seen conveyancing business grow by 83%."- Stan Williets, managing partner, Wright Solicitors

Serious about conveyancing

soft

www.ochresoft.com

Case Study

23

Wright Solicitors Introduction Wright Solicitors is a modern, forwardthinking law firm that has not forgotten its traditional roots. It has been serving the people of Dudley and its surrounding areas for nearly 100 years, with first-class legal advice, good personal service and good value being at its heart.

It offers a wide range of personal legal services for individuals and families and conveyancing has been a core work type for the firm for many years. A corporate rebrand in January 2014 signalled the start of a dynamic new business strategy that looked to leverage modern technology and systems to support the firm’s commitment to quality, standards, risk management and customer satisfaction.

The deployment of Ochresoft’s Intelliworks conveyancing workflow was one of the first fruits of this new strategy and we talk to managing partner Stan Williets about how the solution has transformed the capacity, cost-efficiency and compliance capability of its property team.

What was the background to the adoption of Intelliworks?

As the classic local ‘cradle to grave’ law firm, conveyancing has always been something we’ve offered to our clients, but it’s never represented a really significant chunk of our business.

As a result, the work has historically been quite manual and labour intensive, although the knowledge and experience of our team have always ensured we’ve delivered for the customer. We were using a very basic case management system to help lighten the load but gains were marginal and we knew there were better systems out there. And then as we started to refocus the practice towards the end of 2013, at a time when the housing market was also starting to pick up noticeably, we took the decision to move to a workflow platform that would allow us to capitalise on the returning confidence in the economy.

How would you describe the move to the Intelliworks platform?

The move was like our decision to buy in the first place - easy and straightforward. We were motivated by three things: the user interface, which has clearly been designed by a mix of lawyers and techies, as it is just set out so well; the Cloud delivery, which not only sped up the initial deployment but also gives us this rolling realtime compliance with automatic content updates; and the commercial model, with the innovative ‘pay per case’ proposition making it very affordable indeed. The key, obviously, was acceptance by the team and at deployment stage this was made up of one lawyer and one paralegal, who were a very tight-knit unit and understood exactly how the other worked. They needed to be reassured that this was an enabling tool, that would lift the huge administrative and risk management burden from them to allow more time to be spent on both client relationships and, critically, business development. And they loved what they saw, not just because it very easy and logical to use, but also because they could add value where it really mattered.

turn has flowed into competitive, great value pricing. We also have much better visibility on our capacity and what we can take on, and the momentum it is building has really helped to reenergise the team. The speed, professionalism and responsiveness we’re now displaying consistently is definitely translating into better feedback and stronger relationships, with many first-time clients reporting that they’d definitely use us in the future and recommend us to friends and family.

What has Intelliworks delivered for the firm?

One year in and we’ve seen conveyancing business grow by 83%, with the addition of just one extra team member. I think that’s a pretty impressive measure of the impact that it has had. It was certainly the catalyst for a conveyancing push on our side.

Previously we’d been reluctant to promote ourselves when the market started to stir as we weren’t confident of being able to service the increased volumes to our required standards.

With Intelliworks, we were working with safeguards in place – a fully compliant, up to date workflow; a supervisory framework; milestones, alerts and flags to ensure we missed nothing and that customers were kept bang up to date; and a clear grasp of our costs, that in

Tangible benefits delivered:

What’s the final verdict?

The fact that we’re now actively looking at Intelliworks for our wills and probate team probably tells you all you need to know. It has been a game-changer for sure, and we’re seeing a definite snowball effect from a new business perspective. Word is getting out and that’s bringing in not just conveyancing enquiries but other worktypes too, and we feel that our new brand is shining pretty brightly in the Black Country these days.

For more information, please call +44 (0)1793 836 730 or e-mail enquiries@ochresoft.com

• Helped boost conveyancing volumes by 83% in one year • Increased instructions are having a ripple effect across the rest of the business • Greater confidence to go out and sell the firm knowing they have the capacity to handle the resultant workload • Ability to scale up quickly and easily should volumes demand extra resource • Significant time savings experienced from Intelliworks SDLT submissions versus HMRC website • The team has more time to invest in client relationships and business development • Enhanced customer satisfaction levels and retention rates • Securing consistency of quality, standards, compliance and customer care.

ML // Conveyancing Supplement 2015

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The Features

25

Gazumping the Problem of Rising House Prices It is estimated that more than a fifth of UK house buyers have at one point been gazumped and it may not be too surprising that the lawful, but to some unethical, practice is most rife in the South East where house prices are rising the fastest.

Jon Gouldsmith reports.

A

survey carried out by the online estate agent eMoov showed last year that 34.9% of Brighton’s homeowners had suggested they had been gazumped.

This was a greater percentage of inhabitants than even London, where 31.9% of residents have said they lost a property because a higher offer had been made after theirs was accepted by the seller.

The average across the whole of the South East was 22% compared to an average of 18% for the rest of the country.

A competitive market...

This is of little surprise because it is where there is most competition for houses that gazumping is likely to take place. As prospective house buyers become desperate in a market short of housing stock, and sellers reading how house prices are continuing to increase in their area are tempted to review the market, the chances that an original buyer will be gazumped will increase.

The problem with gazumping is of course the cost, and not only to potential house buyers but also to the industry. The buyer will potentially lose the survey and search costs, but with many conveyancers offering to reduce or write off all their fees in the event a transaction does not complete a substantial amount of fees are being lost each year.

‘Reports of house price increases and the number of homebuyers being gazumped will be a continuing trend’ Playing catch up The Home.co.uk Asking Price Index (HAPI) for July 2015 showed prices increased by 0.4% in England and Wales during the last month, and that the average time a residential property was on the market fell to 177 days, the lowest figure since November 2008. The problem is magnified in the South East where properties are on the market for an average of 59 days.

Although Office of National Statistic figures showed an increase in house building in England between January and March 2015, with the number rising to 125, this is a little over half the number it is estimated are required simply to keep up with the countries growing population, let alone catch up with 30 years of under building.

With the shortage in housing stock clearly not going to be resolved in the immediate future, it unfortunately seems reports of house price increases and the number of homebuyers being gazumped will be a continuing trend.

Jon Gouldsmith is Director and Head of Legal Support at Box Legal Limited.

The practice of gazumping is in no way restricted to the South East. 26.7% of homeowners in Birmingham reported being gazumped, as did 22.9% of residents in Sheffield and locally, in smaller towns across the country, the problem is likely to be even worse.

‘The practice of gazumping is in no way restricted to the South East.

26.7% of homeowners in Birmingham reported being gazumped, as did 22.9% of residents in Sheffield’ ML // Conveyancing Supplement 2015

Expertise, across the field

As a busy legal professional, access to the latest market insight and information is crucial. Whether you need assistance with specific business issues, support with your day-to-day search requirements, or training and development for your teams, we are dedicated to helping our clients deliver the best possible service.

With regulation and compliance experts, the largest team of knowledgeable account managers, friendly trainers and the very latest news available from our website, you can rely on SearchFlow to keep you one step ahead.

Tell us how we can make your life easier.

Call 0870 787 7625 or visit searchflow.co.uk @SearchFlow

SearchFlow

making lawyers’ lives easier

The Features

27

Speed up house buying with the personal touch

Ray Farrell outlines how PSA searches can cut turnaround times while providing the same quality of search for residential and commercial searches.

M

oving house or business premises can be one of the more stressful processes in a person’s lifetime. One of the frustrations many consumers and businesses face when buying a house or commercial property is the length of time it takes to complete. Often, it’s search turnaround times during the conveyancing process that can be a challenge for solicitors and their clients. Not just in terms of the reality of the delay, but also how this can be perceived by customers.

Today, clients expect property transactions to move quickly, but some local authorities can take longer to return searches due to resource issues and a backlog of work. That can create tension for all those involved in the buying and selling of homes and commercial buildings.

What’s on the horizon…

There is, however, an option that can cut turnaround times while providing the same quality of search for residential and commercial searches.

Personal Search Agency (PSA), a subsidiary of SearchFlow, offers an alternative to official searches that puts the entire process in the hands of a dedicated and experienced team. It’s a bespoke service that many buyers and sellers value highly.

In areas where local authorities take three weeks or longer to provide conveyancing results, a personal search can reduce this waiting time by a whole week, on average. And across some locations, including London, SearchFlow figures show buyers could shave as much as two weeks off the property transaction process by instructing a personal search.

Latest research from SearchFlow’s Conveyancer Sentiment Survey suggests that many feel the problem of delays could get worse. In total, 31% of conveyancers said that they felt changes to the Local Land Charge process could further extend turnaround times.

Personal searches therefore promise a viable alternative that could ease the delays associated not just with present challenges, but future changes.

“There are a number of factors

‘For the solicitor’s client, the personal search option may also resonate in a positive way and assuage some of the negativity that can define the conveyancing process’ that impact turnaround times for official searches at local authorities, including lack of resource, dealing with crises and changes in processes,” said SearchFlow’s Search Manager Ray Farrell. “Solicitors whose clients are looking for a faster transaction should consider recommending a personal search solution.

“Our 22-strong, directly-employed personal search team at SearchFlow is extremely experienced and they have the most up-to-date technology available to deliver fast results. They visit the relevant local authority for each and every search, rather than relying on past or banked data, and so are equally as reliable as official searches – if not better.”

Speed, knowledge and communication…

Delays in turnaround times for conveyancing searches impact solicitors as well as their clients. And with 44% of conveyancers expecting the market to improve by the end of 2015, Farrell says that now is the time for the industry to consolidate their operations and improve efficiency.

“Efficiency drives profitability,” he said. “The faster solicitors are able to process clients, the more they’ll be able to take on and the more revenue they’ll make. Then there’s the service angle. By easing the conveyancing

process for clients, solicitors will be offering better service.”

PSA is staffed by a regional team of field-based professionals and an internal administration team. Covering every region of England and Wales, they work to secure appointments and visit local authority offices, doing all the legwork in person. More than 50,000 searches were undertaken by the team last year.

But it’s not just speed that defines PSA searches. In-depth knowledge of the Local Land Charges Register, as well as the ability to drill into the detail of CON29 responses and to decipher and interpret their content means conveyancers can be sure of the accuracy of the work. When a solicitor instructs a personal search to be undertaken, they will have a single point of contact so that there is regular communication and updates throughout the process.

A bespoke option For the solicitor’s client, the personal search option may also resonate in a positive way and assuage some of the negativity that can define the conveyancing process. Today, buyers increasingly seek the personal, bespoke touch whatever the goods or services being bought. So why not a personal search to help deliver a competitive advantage and show the industry is on the front foot?

According to the Conveyancer Sentiment Survey nearly two thirds of conveyancers have seen the biggest volume of growth from direct business.

And this statistic alone could help convince more of the benefits in promoting personal search to potential clients.

Ray Farrell is Search Manager at SearchFlow.

All PSA searches are search code compliant and provide protection of £10 million in professional indemnity cover as standard. In addition the team goes beyond regulated searches, offering an ad hoc enquiry service for other aspects including highways and planning. Call 01732 523952 if you would like to speak to SearchFlow and PSA about the services they offer.

ML // Conveyancing Supplement 2015

28

The Features

High net worth conveyancing: quality relationships Charlotte Parkinson, Modern Law spoke to the Partner, Residential Conveyancing at Mogers Drewett about managing client expectations in high net worth conveyancing transactions and introducing an accreditation scheme which would make it easier for clients to identify firms which are offering truly exceptional service.

Q A

What are the specific complexities around high net worth conveyancing transactions?

High net worth conveyancing transactions is a phrase used to describe not only higher value property transactions but also the “type” of client. On a number of occasions “high net worth” clients will buy lesser value properties either as investments or for family members and will still require the same level of service. On the technical side, higher value transactions usually involve more bespoke properties with unique legal issues. Where this is the case, as lawyers, we need to be involved in many matters such as:

• Carrying out a site visit of the property to check that the boundaries as shown on the title deeds or Land Registry plan are the same as they are on the land.

• Advising on restrictive covenants and easements which affect the use of the property.

• Checking private rights of way to include ensuring that full rights exist for access to the property and that there are no issues with regard to any shared rights of way.

Responsibility for maintenance of such access roads also needs to be fully checked.

• Ascertaining whether there have been any alterations or additions to the property which may or may not have had planning or building regulation consent. In addition many higher value properties involve properties that are listed. As there is no time limit for action being taken by a Local Authority for breaches of listed planning, special care is needed to check that any alterations or additions have the appropriate listed planning consent.

ML // Conveyancing Supplement 2015

• Where the property includes a large amount of land with it, checks will have to be carried out to ensure there is correct planning use for the land and that no other party has rights over the land which may affect its use.

As each property is different this list in not exhaustive. On a personal level, client expectations can be greater with higher net worth transactions. Clients will usually require more information, which they require to be delivered very quickly and often out of what is considered normal working hours. Above all the client will usually want us to get far more involved in the whole transaction than in a standard transaction. They will expect us to be proactive and achieve results in a short timescale. Many high net worth transactions involve clients who are themselves very busy and require their lawyer to deliver promptly and succinctly.

They may also require additional involvement from their lawyer over and above more standard transactions.

Examples of this include: • Being part of the process to actually bring a property to the market including discussions with prospective estate agents on ways to market a property, sale price and fees.

• Advising clients on whether or not to accept an offer.

• Negotiating with estate agents either on a proposed purchase price or where a renegotiation is required.

• Being an objective view where there are problems during a transaction and advising on how best to proceed.

• Negotiating timescales for exchange of contracts and completion.

Q

Is there a difference in client care/relationship management when it comes to high net worth individuals and transactions?

Michael Blowers Born and brought up in North London, Michael moved to the West Country in 1977 to undertake his legal studies. He then took articles with Moger Campbell in Bath in 1981. Following qualification in 1984 he has remained a “one firm” man, initially specialising in the area of residential property and then heading up the residential property team of Mogers.

Following the merger of Mogers and Dyne Drewett in 2014 Michael has managed the expanding residential property teams operating out of Bath, Sherborne and Wells. He combines this with continuing to personally look after a number of loyal clients and overseeing a variety of high value transactions. Combining a high level of technical knowledge with a personal and proactive service, he is on many occasions referred by clients and estate agents to act on a wide variety of interesting property transactions.

Outside of his working life, Michael is married with two grown up children, has an interest in watching far too many sports and is desperately trying to achieve a reasonable golf handicap.

The Features

29

‘There has to be a mind-set that we will be available to our clients at all times and go the extra mile for them’

A

On one level the answer is no as we seek to provide the same high level of service to all clients. However, with higher value transactions and clients we may be asked to be more involved.

Clients will expect more whether that involves additional time spent chasing progress, carrying out investigations on title, being involved in the whole process and keeping clients updated.

Very often, there is an expectation or agreement that a transaction will move very quickly. All these expectations will need to be managed well and we will in all probability, need to spend more time speaking to and advising our clients. In order to provide this service there has to be a mind-set that we will be available to our clients at all times and go the extra mile for them.

Q A

How do Mogers Drewett ensure the firm is front of mind for potential/existing clients wishing to undertake a conveyancing transaction?

• As a firm, we work hard to ensure that a high profile exists for our target market. This is through a combination of an excellent web site, use of social media, good publicity and advertising and sponsorship of events.

• By keeping in regular contact with existing clients through phone calls, e-mail contact, invitations to events that we organise or participate in and provision of our regular in house magazine. We endeavour to do this even if we are not acting on a specific matter at the time.

• Through building relationships with professional introducers or potential introducers. This quite simply involves spending time getting to know each other, how each works and understanding our respective practices. This makes it easier for both parties to refer work to each other.

The key is to retain regular contact.

• By seeking feedback from clients following their transaction to ensure we are meeting our high standards and then actively encouraging clients

to refer friends and relatives to us.

• By taking part and positively being involved in our local communities.

Q A

What are the benefits of obtaining and practising under the Conveyancing Quality Standard (CQS) scheme, do clients need to understand the accreditation?

Much as I would like to say the benefits are great, unfortunately I am afraid that this is not really the case at present. I fully endorsed the introduction of the CQS scheme and Mogers Drewett were the first firm in the south west to achieve the standard and have continued to retain the accreditation. CQS has seen benefits through standardisation of documents and better co-operation between lawyers. However, its focus is essentially on compliance with operations rather than a means to ensure that the level of service to clients is of real quality. Whilst I accept that the level of service can be very subjective, it would be great to have a scheme that really identifies the market leaders in providing such a service. Unfortunately, at present I do not believe that clients need to understand the accreditation as it does not have any market awareness. A large percentage of solicitors offering to act on conveyancing transactions have achieved the standard and as a consequence, there is nothing for clients to identify those firms with the standard as offering exceptional service. If such information was available advising clients of the benefits of using a CQS qualified firm would be more important and beneficial. It would assist clients in assessing the level of service and expertise they would like to use during their transaction.

Q A

to consider and advise upon together with a strict timescale. Contracts for the purchases were exchanged within 9 working days giving a satisfied client the properties of his dreams.

On a business note, being involved in building and growing a team who are all committed to providing a high level of professional service, seeking to build and maintain quality relationships with clients and receiving regular feedback that the objective is being achieved.

Q A

What’s next for the Residential Conveyancing team at Mogers Drewett?

In simple terms, continue as we are and do more of it!

Whilst not everyone requires the level of service that we offer there are a significant percentage who still appreciate an “old fashioned” relationship with their solicitor and want to deal with someone who understands their objective and works hard to ensure that this is achieved.

Over the next year, there will be further recruitment in each of our offices to ensure that we have the capacity to provide a quality service. We will continue to ensure that we are at the forefront of technology but couple this with the personal touch.

What is the highlight of your professional career?

On a personal note, acting for a client recently who purchased two adjoining properties worth over £5 million on the Cornish coast.

There were a number of legal issues

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Case Study

Key Conveyancing Introduction Key Conveyancing is a fast-growing firm with offices in Northampton and Baldock. It styles itself as a ‘no nonsense solicitors that helps you buy and sell property with a minimum of fuss at a cost-effective rate.’ It puts a great deal of emphasis on its conveyancing specialism, and works hard to ensure that every part of the process and every client relationship is handled to the highest possible standard.

To achieve that level of performance consistently, to be competitive and to remain profitable saw the practice turn to technology for answers. And with its growth ambitions to factor in as well, it was diligent and exacting in identifying which solution would best underpin these various objectives.

We talk to Key’s John Turner about the decision to go with Intelliworks, and what impact it has had on the firm’s development to date and how it will influence the business going forward.

What was the background to the adoption of Intelliworks?

We launched back in 2013 as a specialist start-up with a very clear vision – offering high quality, good value conveyancing services to the region’s consumers, characterised by efficiency, openness, responsiveness and above all, strong personal contact and client relationships.

We had growth ambitions, so we focused locally at first but with a view to becoming more regional, with strategic office openings. But we were also aware of the challenges – the pressure on fees and referrals, the increasingly risky climate around conveyancing despite an improving economic picture, and above all, the realities of successful expansion. We recognised that the solution to each of those challenges lay in technology, specifically in a specialist workflow system that we could put at the heart of our operations.

ML // Conveyancing Supplement 2015

How would you describe the move to the Intelliworks platform?

One of the main reasons we were attracted to Intelliworks was that it was going to deliver for us in our key areas – quality, efficiency, compliance and consistency – without compromising the user experience.

Intelliworks has created an incredibly positive, productive environment for our team by being extremely well engineered and very intuitive. When we looked around the market initially, one of our concerns was that so many case management systems were just toolkits, that would a) need a lot of additional work to get to a usable point and b) never be the simple, userfriendly out of the box tool that we were after. We were also mindful that fee earners can be slightly precious about their precedent letters so it was a huge relief to find a ready-to go system, with a comprehensive workflow, well authored library and regular content updates, all there in one tidy package.

What has Intelliworks delivered for the firm?

We may be growing but our service has to stay the same – it has to be the same good value, high-class conveyancing that we promised our clients when we first opened our doors. We’re also actively broadening our own referral network now, via relationships with estate agents and third parties. Intelliworks has enabled us to build teams much more quickly because we have this fantastic framework in place that allows us to compartmentalise our work much more effectively. That means we can resource the administrative and legal aspects more appropriately, whilst maintaining full visibility of the matter, monitoring all milestones and managing risk proactively. That has had a significant impact on our ability to develop individuals, bringing them on to handle more work with greater confidence and certainty; and to forge teams capable of comfortably handling

increasing volumes. Through deploying Intelliworks’ Quotes and the VirtualFirm module, we’re also now able to give agents a powerful marketing tool of their own: they can access on-demand conveyancing costs for a potential homebuyer as well as track progress once an instruction is given.

What’s the final verdict?

In three years, we’ve been able to grow our team from just four to 25, with new office openings actively planned to supplement our two existing sites.

We have demonstrated that people will pay for good quality conveyancing and we don’t need to enter into any destructive price war or pay absurd referral fees. We’ve successfully scaled up to meet increasing demand and established a reputation for delivering on customer experience and our service promise. Intelliworks has been a major part of our journey and we look forward to continuing our progress and our relationship.

For more information, please call +44 (0)1793 836 730 or e-mail enquiries@ochresoft.com

Tangible benefits delivered: • Team has grown by 600% in less than three years • No adverse PI claims since the firm launched • Increased appeal to estate agents thanks to value-add tools • Underpinning regional expansion with new teams planned for new offices • Significant time savings from Intelliworks SDLT submissions vs.

HMRC website • Boosting profitability through leaner, more efficient and appropriate task allocation • Securing consistency of quality, standards, compliance and customer care.

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Conveyancing

Intelliworks will change your life (we’re serious).

When people think of the benefits of using Intelliworks Conveyancing, they think efficiency, profit and growth. It's true: Intelliworks grows teams and businesses and it transforms the bottom line.

But that's only half of story. We don’t just want to make the firm more money, we want to make you and your teams happier too: “This is amazing! It's going to change my life!” actual comment from an Intelliworks new user trainee (July 2015)

Intelliworks will make you more compliant (Lexcel and CQS). It will manage milestones, suggest risk factors, report intelligently, watch for hazards and track key dates.

That means peace of mind. You can trust Intelliworks to manage your cases so nothing is forgotten. Your staff will be less stressed and more efficient. Not so busy they dread the ring of the telephone.

All the parts of Intelliworks Conveyancing together make your work better, easier, more rewarding. It's not something we can show you in an advert. So get in touch with us and we'll show you Intelliworks, how it can help your business and make your teams happier and more productive, right away.

It might change your life. Seriously.

Serious about conveyancing

soft

www.ochresoft.com

CASE

CONVEYANCING

MANAGEMENT

SOFTWARE employment

FAMILY

DEBT RECOVERY

£+

lpa & COp

probate

PERSONAL INJURY

Eclipse’s Proclaim Case Management Software solution is the only system to be endorsed by the Law Society. In use by 22,000 professionals in 800 organisations, Proclaim’s market-leading productivity tools are available in a huge range of flavours and ready-to-go, out of the box.

Contact us for a demonstration

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