Today's Conveyancer Podcast

Hamza Hafesji, Group Product Manager at Advanced Legal, joins the latest Today's Conveyancer podcast to discuss the importance of implementing a culture of performance management in a business. 

For years the only time most employees receive any sort of constructive feedback has been in an annual appraisal. For Hamza, something has to fundamentally change and feedback must be much more of an ongoing process

He cites research from PWC, LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters and their own client surveys which point to the challenges that face law firms from an HR point of view. Indeed 3 in 5 law firms are concerned about talent and shortage and churn, and are consider it a barrier to their success.

He discusses organisations described as "Stay Firms" and "Go Firms" - firms who retain, and lose, talent. While acknowledging that remuneration plays a part in the success "Stay Firms," the focus on their broader value proposition sees them not only retain staff, but makes them more efficient with higher billable hours and better staff mental health and wellbeing. 

And lawyers themselves are more vocal about what they want from work. A staggering 44% of lawyers measure their stress levels at between 8-10 out of 10 in an Advanced Legal survey. That, and a lack of progression and professional development is often the cause of staff leaving. 

"When we drill into this, we're looking at a lack of mentorship and career guidance, a lack of promotion opportunities and the desire for greater on the job assistance. All of which can be described as performance management," says Hamza.

 This discussion covers a lot of ground around the value and importance of creating a culture of performance, normalising goal setting and providing a constant feedback loop between employees and managers. For Hamza, part of the success of implementing such a cultural change is in the adoption of technology to drive through the change and support managers to ask the right questions and enable those types of conversations. 

The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. 

Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack

Today's Conveyancer podcast host David Opie is joined by former-conveyancer Chris Scantlebury, the founder and director at conveyancing platform ProConvey. 

Chris explains how he has moved on from front line conveyancing to develop ProConvey; an digital conveyancing tool that helps conveyancers and estate agents better collaborate. Having spent 10 years "down the mines" at the coal face of conveyancing Chris now brings that experience to the business. 

Previously known at Pre-convey, Chris launched with the intention to try and get clients in the best position possible to move the transaction forward. He explains how they started on an A3 piece of paper and following 2 years' planning, with some funding and having been through an incubator programme, ProConvey launched.

An interesting discussion on how to bring an idea from conception to market and what challenges Chris and the team have faced, along with his ambitions and aspirations for the future.

The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. 

Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack

Kate Burt joins this latest episode of the Today's Conveyancer podcast. Kate is a solicitor and compliance consultant, running specialist consultancy Hive Risk. The topic of discussion is compliance and the way external organisations can support firms, before moving on to specifically talk about complaints handling. 

As Kate says, compliance is not just the SRA handbook. It touches on a myriad of other issues compliance professionals must manage including data protection, anti-money laundering, professional indemnity insurance, cyber issues, conflicts of interest... the list goes on. And the challenge for firms and compliance professionals working in them is having that lLength and breadth of knowledge. 

Discussing what often lands on the desk of compliance professionals Kate says that all to often one complaint will highlight failures across a range of compliance issues, pointing to a recent complaint she was was instructed to deal with which identified further work to be done around conduct, negligence, notification to insurers and more; 
"that's fairly typical" says Kate.

Alongside dealing with specific issues, which in conveyancing often revolve around timescales, delays, communication and fees, Kate says firms must be better at capturing complaints data to enable them to drill into trends and root cause analysis; it can be a failure of process, rather than an individual fee earner which is causing the issue suggests Kate. 

It can be the case that firms become too emotionally involved when it comes to complaints handling and in the discussion Kate provides her insight into complaints best practice, sharing her experience working with firms up and down the country; a very useful listen for compliance professionals and law firms. 

The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. 

Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack

The Today's Conveyancer podcast returns for it's third series with our first episode of 2024. And we're launching with a bang with Sebastian Haller, Deputy Director of Anti-Money Laundering at the Council for Licensed Conveyancers sharing the regulator's views on the challenges conveyancers and property lawyers face when it comes to anti-money laundering (AML)

Sebastian shares his own insight and experience as a regulator and provides some useful pointers for firms when it comes to compliance with AML protocols. Sebastian also shares the most common areas of non-compliance he sees daily in his role with the regulator.

Whilst he is at pains to point out that many firms are now fully compliant with the regulatory requirements of AML, he still finds firms failing to robustly check their clients and adequately assess the risk posed by the client and/or transaction. 

Source of funds and source of wealth, two related but different profiles, remain key areas of non-compliance, as is the practice wide risk assessment (PWRA) which was referred to directly by the Solicitor's Regulation Authority (SRA) Warning Notice in October 2023 and acknowledged here by Sebastian as an issue the CLC regularly identify as an area of weakness in conveyancing practices. 
 
This discussion provides insight into the regulator's approach to dealing with AML in CLC regulated practices, provides reminders for firms regulated by the SRA, and is a must listen for law firm leaders, COLP's, HOLP's, MLRO's and those responsible for AML process in their practice. 

The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. 

Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack

In the final Today's Conveyancer podcast of 2023 host David Opie discusses the challenges of running a law firm in 2023 with Ellisons Managing Partner Guy Longhurst. Ellisons are a full service firm with 5 offices and 275 staff across Suffolk and Essex, putting them in the top 200 bracket of firms in England and Wales. 

in this candid discussion Guy shares his experience of being with the firm for 27 years and rising through the ranks to become Managing Partner. Describing law as much more laid back when he first started, Guy shares the challenges and opportunities presented in 2023 in a conversation that covers a variety of topics including partnership structure, professional indemnity, staff, office space, compliance, technology and much more.  
 
The recent recipient of the "Great Place to Work" accreditation, Ellisons has worked hard on attracting and retaining its people, "our single biggest challenge" says Guy, who discusses their own efforts to recruit talented people, the work the firm does in it's wider remuneration, wellbeing and support package, and the introduction of a solicitor apprenticeship programme which mitigates and insulates the firm from some of the risk.

One of the key takeaways from this podcast is the focus on what Guy describes as Ellisons' '4 C's; "look after your clients, colleagues, competencies and cash" he says.

Simples. 

The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. 

Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack

There is an opportunity for a change in the way conveyancers offer their services as a result of the introduction of the Material Information Guidance, suggests Head of the National Trading Standards Estate and Lettings Agents Team (NTSELAT), James Munro. 

Speaking to podcast host David Opie, Munro says there is a "great opportunity for the conveyancing profession to get involved in a transaction at an earlier stage" and collaborate with estate agents to collaborate to create a "limited service" for home movers and estate agents to help them comply with the detail of the new guidance. 

The Material Information Guidance has now been released in full by  (NTSELAT) in conjunction with a steering group to provide clearer guidance on compliance with the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs). In the podcast Munro explains the origins of the guidance lies in the challenge presented by the overarching CPRs which superseded the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 and, most importantly for the property industry, the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991 (PMA’s). Critically, reminds Munro, the regulations apply both at the outset, during and at completion of the sale. 

The discussion explores the detail and requirements outlined in Part A, B & C and the implications for home movers, estate agents and conveyancers; and suggests that a "limited service" might help interpret any issues with the property that arise, and disclose that information in such a way that estate agents can provide clearer details on property listings, and home movers are better informed of potential pitfalls earlier in their decision making process. 

The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. 

Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack

Conveyancing nirvana might be the perfect contract pack says Rob Gurney, Managing Director of Ochresoft in the latest Today's Conveyancer podcast. Rob discusses how the desire for speed has created a rod for our own backs when it comes to transaction timelines.

There is this onus on getting the contract out to the other side as quickly as possible, without all the information a conveyancer knows we need to supply.  All that means is that contract packs go out with very little information on - which inevitably comes back to the vendor's lawyer as additional enquiries.

If we can gather all the information the buyer's lawyer is going to ask for, before they've even asked for it, we can reduce or eradicate the additional enquires process; that's conveyancing nirvana says Rob.

Rob also talks about up front information and the current challenges in actually being proactive with the information collated if the vendor's lawyer isn't instructed at the point of listing. This is where some of the work Ochresoft has been doing comes in; their Up Front Information (UFI) workflow. The ability to analyse UFI automates the production of a Key Facts document for estate agents to enable them to comply with  National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agent Team's Material Information requirements, including the recently published parts B&C (although the podcast was recorded before the exact details of Parts B&C were confirmed).

The overriding sentiment in the discussion is that collecting data is only one part of the process for change; there must be a shift in mindset to bring the conveyancer into the transaction at an earlier stage, to enable the initial investigation work to be done, interpreting the information collected and deliver a better quality contract pack at the outset.

As the famous saying goes, more haste, less speed.

The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. 

Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack

Steven Hill, Managing Director at Case Management System provider Denovo BI joins Today's Conveyancer Podcast host David Opie to discuss technology, case management, and the challenge of working across Scottish and English jurisdictions.

Steven talks about his history with the business  over 18 years and his recent promotion to the role of Managing Director. Denovo BI started out life as an accounts system catering for England & Wales, and Scottish legal systems. In their development since, and as they have introduced case and matter management into their portfolio, they have retained this cross-jurisdictional  compatibility. 

Steven explains the challenges from a technology and workflow point of view presented by the front-end conveyancing process in Scotland, where much more of the legal process is captured at the start of the transaction, and the "last-minute" process in England and Wales 

The conversation moves onto the changing legal landscape which for Steven has shifted dramatically since he joined the business. Case and matter management should be a single source of truth, he says, and is an advocate of helping clients better educate their staff on the features and benefits of the software so that adoption is encouraged. 

He discusses his thoughts on how we can get better adoption; showing staff how to get documents in and out of the systems, making it easy for users to make the most of the technology and ultimately ensure that clients are integrated into the process.

He goes on to talk about the range of technology providing discrete services and the importance of interconnectivity and interoperability and the role case management plays in ensuring that they are able to integrate with best of breed third parties.  But comes back to the importance of internal education, otherwise the firm simply doesn't see the full benefit of their investment. 

An interesting insight into the direction of travel for case and matter management from an expert in the field. 

The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. 

Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack

This week the Today's Conveyancer Podcast welcomes Rachel Griffiths Head of External Operations and Panel Management at SDL Surveyors. SDL Surveyors are one of the largest independent providers of mortgage valuations with over 200,000 cases per year. They also provide private home surveys directly on behalf of consumers and the topic of discussion in this latest podcast the perennial issue of helping home movers understand the critical differences between valuation surveys for lending purposes, and home moving surveys to identify structural or other defects with property. 

Rachel explains that the language of home moving is unhelpful; "survey" "valuer" "valuation" all have different meanings for different parts of the process. She points to stats from 2021 which show that only 3 in 10 home movers instruct their own surveys, and reminds us that the pressure on speed and the development of desktop valuation surveys means that fewer houses are now physically inspected as part of the valuation; around 40-50% currently with that number anticipated to rise to 60-70%. 

All of which adds up to fewer expert eyeballs on a property before a home buyer moves in. And with stats suggesting that home movers are spending an average of £5,000 to make their property fit for purpose upon moving in (nearly 1 in 5 home movers spend £15,000 or more) should more be done to alert home movers to costs that could, and should, have been renegotiated during the sale. 
 
Do lenders, estate agents and conveyancers have a greater responsibility to their clients to alert them of this and flag the importance of home buying surveys? Should they be mandated? What impact does the newly implemented "Consumer Duty" requirements on FCA regulated entities like mortgage brokers have?  And with the increasing pressure on conveyancers to understand and report on issues like climate change, should surveyors be a more integral part of the home buying process? 

Rachel shares her own tips and best practice from her experience in in this interesting and topical podcast. 

The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. 

Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack

John Reynolds, Chief Operating Officer at Coadjute joins host David Opie on the latest Today's Conveyancer podcast to discuss the future of the conveyancing market, and what "digitisation" means to Coadjute.

John identifies 5 elements to a digital property market

• Digital identity
• Digital signature
• Digital form of the title
• Digital form of the contract
• Digital exchange

We are moving from a physical world of lawyers offices, money, contracts and titles, to a digitised version of these; and in order to facilitate this there needs to be market infrastructure to enable this. 

The risk posed by moving into a digital world is security; security of identity, data, money and more. And without the ability to trust in the existing processes, we have, says John, this constant revalidation and rechecking of data.

Challenged around what appears to be a limited amount of joined up thinking amongst technology providers, John points to the importance of agreeing common standards and formats for data as it is passed around the transaction stakeholders. Data standards are an industry building block, to help facilitate what digitisation hopes to achieves. 

John also addresses the work Coadjute have done with their recently launched Digital Property Data Pack and how that fits into the current technology available to conveyancers. 

The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. 

Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack