Property
Stay polite and manage expectations, Law Society tells conveyancers
The Law Society has urged under-pressure conveyancers stay civil as they manage the risk that transactions will not complete by the stamp duty deadline at the end of this month.
NAHL to exit conveyancing as it targets PI law firm growth
NAHL plc is set to sell its residential conveyancing business as it looks to focus on growing its personal injury law firm in the wake of a difficult Covid-affected year for the business.
Surrey firm ordered to pay £800k for property negligence
A Surrey law firm has been ordered to pay more than £800,000 in damages for negligence after failing to tell its client that part of a property he thought he had bought had been retained by the seller.
£26m fund to support take-up of local land charges register
The government has unveiled a £26m fund to support local authorities in migrating to the national local land charges register, with the aim of bringing all 336 on board by 2025.
Firm sued over ground rent that doubles every five years
A West Midlands law firm is being sued by a client who claims it failed to tell of a “ridiculous” ground rent that doubles every five years – meaning she will be paying £1m a year in 50 years.
Immigration and civil litigation hit hardest by Covid-19
Immigration and civil litigation were the two areas of legal practice hit hardest by the pandemic last year, with private client and family law “insulated” from the impact, new research has found.
Law firms to offer upfront conveyancing transaction packs
A national panel of law firms is being created to allow estate agents and members of the public to find conveyancers prepared to provide buyers with upfront property transaction packs.
First law firm joins government’s passport checking pilot
Convey Law has become the first law firm to join the government’s Document Checking Service pilot, meaning it can check information contained in UK passports against government records.
Solicitor struck off for “sophisticated” Land Registry fraud
A solicitor jailed for more than three years for forging Land Registry documents in a family dispute with the owners of a Newcastle takeaway has been struck off.
Conveyancing giant enters the big leagues as acquisitions pay off
Simplify, the private equity-owned group that leads the conveyancing market, is now one of the largest legal businesses in the country with a turnover of £139m last year, its accounts have shown.