In this Conveyancing Matters chat, Lorraine and Stu talk to property expert, podcaster and presenter, Charlie Lamdin This is a wide-ranging chat in which Charlie shares his insights on the state of the property market. He makes some really interesting points and of course, is controversial at times! Charlie says that the property industry is lagging behind in terms of tech – do you agree?

In this Conveyancing Matters chat, Lorraine and Stu talk about some interesting research that has recently been issued by Lloyds. The headline coming from it is that only 13% of first time buyers 'fully understand' the conveyancing process. But is the real number likely to be even this high? Stu and Lorraine suggest that our regulators should be doing more to support conveyancing clients and the lawyers that they regulate to help the public understand the importance ...

In this Conveyancing Matters chat, Lorraine and Stu weigh in on a topic that has had a lot of press lately - the demise of 'Dear Sirs' Lorraine and Stu's views are shaped by their own experience of being in legal practice for many years - what is your view? Is the demise of 'Dear Sirs' an important issue for practitioners or a storm in a teacup?

In this Conveyancing Matters chat, Lorraine and Stu talk about the government's recent bombshell announcement that the legal regulators, including the SRA and CLC, are going to lose their AML oversight function. This will be passed to the FCA, although no timeframe has yet been given. The announcement seemed to take the SRA by surprise - what is your view? Long overdue or an accident waiting to happen?

After a tumultuous 2024 (including a new Property Information Form (PIF), a backlash, a (survived) vote of no confidence and a consultation) the Law Society has produced the long awaited 6th edition of the PIF In this Conveyancing Matters chat, Lorraine and Stu give their first impressions of the new form. It is undoubtedly an improvement, but there are some points for conveyancers note If you find this chat interesting, Lorraine and Stu do a longer discussion about the PIF 6th ed...

Stu and Lorraine have a lot to talk about including the LSAG updating its AML guidance, the CLC AML alert and LSAG guidance on identification and gifted deposits. All of this is a must for coal face conveyancers! Lorraine and Stu also discuss a worrying case for anyone using What's App and mention HMLR updates - so there is a lot to keep conveyancers at the front line busy! And don't forget to save the date for the next Conveyancing Matters networking and CPD event in Lond...

'Talk to the Lawyers' In this Conveyancing Matters chat, Lorraine and Stu talk to Stephen Larcombe, solicitor, who was instrumental in setting up the Property Lawyers Alliance (PLA) Stephen talks about the PLA's current campaign lobbying government against the crippling burden of Anti Money Laundering (AML) regulation imposed on property firms; pointing out that there are about 1500 pages of AML regulations and documents Stephen says 'It has almost become masochistic. The key point i...

In this week’s Conveyancing Matters chat, Stu and Lorraine talk to Cash Bishop, a young UK qualified lawyer who has taken the plunge and gone to work in Dubai Cash is now a senior licensed conveyancer at Dacha Real Estate, based in Dubai. He talks about how different the conveyancing system is in Dubai and that he has no regrets in taking the plunge! It is interesting how swiftly the transactions can go through – Cash points out that the attitude of the lenders is key – ‘all the banks...

In this Conveyancing Matters chat, Lorraine and Stu are joined by David Keighley Many conveyancers will know David as an excellent legal trainer or contributor to the Law Society's Conveyancing Handbook - but in this chat, David is talking about the fact that he is running for the Residential Conveyancing Sector seat on the Law Society's Council David explains that his wish is to represent coal face conveyancers at the highest level in the Law Society - this is undoubtedly a voice...

In this Conveyancing Matters chat, Lorraine and Stu talk about the unexpected withdrawal by National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team of the Material Information guidance relating to property listings Where does this leave estate agents and conveyancers? And what of the Law Society's Property Information Form updates? Edition 6 is expected later this year - confusion reigns for CQS firms What is your view?

This week Conveyancing Matters is delighted to welcome David Opie, Managing Director of the Today's Media group which, of course, includes the popular 'Today's Conveyancer' publication Stu and Lorraine talk to David about the success in recent years of the British Conveyancing Awards (and the recent award won by PCS Legal!) and how David acquired the Today's Media group in 2021 and how the titles have developed since then David talks about the importance of social media and PR for...

The Conveyancing Matters Spring 2025 chat is here! Lorraine and Stu remind conveyancers that they can come along to a drinks evening in London on 15 May - just as recognition for the immense work that conveyancers have put in over recent months. No payment needed - but places are limited, so email Lorraine if you would like to get on the list - lorraine@convmatters.co.uk Lorraine and Stu give an update on a wide range of issues affecting conveyancers including: the continuing sa...

In this Conveyancing Matters chat, Lorraine is delighted to catch up with Ewan Treadgold from Tees Law Ewan has now qualified as a solicitor but he took the long route via Cilex and then the Solicitors Qualification Examination (SQE) Ewan talks frankly about his journey and gives some important insights into the SQE exams and how he prepared for these challenging assessments Ewan and Lorraine share study tips and how to approach the multiple choice and skills exams that comprise the ...

With the government announcement on 9 February of a 12-week project aiming to move forward with digitisation of the home buying and selling process, a Conveyancing Matters chat with Mike Harlow could not be more timely! Mike is the Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Customer and Strategy at HM Land Registry and joins Stu and Lorraine for a wide-ranging chat. Stuart jumps in at the deep end by asking Mike about the industrial action by HM Land Registry staff that is currently taking ...

In this Conveyancing Matters chat, Stu and Lorraine talk to property solicitor, Colin McWilliams Colin has gained a name for himself by becoming the deputy of the Property Lawyers Alliance (PLA) The PLA is a non-profit, conveyancing organization which is a community for conveyancers as well as having a political arm Colin regularly puts his head above the parapet to comment on matters of importance to the conveyancing profession on social media The PLA led the drive for the vote of ...

Lorraine and Stu start 2025 with a topic that will not go away - leasehold! The government has said that it intends to push on with leasehold reform and wants to make commonhold the 'default' But how easy will this be? In this Conveyancing Matters chat, Lorraine and Stu talk about some of the problems that the property market and conveyancers might face if leasehold changes are rushed through They also talk about the unhelpful language that is being used - is it ...

We are at the last Conveyancing Matters video of 2024 - so Lorraine and Stu have a news review for you! They look back at some of the highlights for Conveyancing Matters and the main stories that have been keeping conveyancers awake! Stu and Lorraine send their best wishes for the festive season to all their subscribers, friends and contacts! Remember, this is just a chat and our opinions, not advice! www.conveyancing-matters.co.uk www.pcslegal.co.uk www.adaptlaw.co.uk

In this latest Conveyancing Matters chat, Stu and Lorraine are joined by Noel Hunter, OBE Noel is the Chair of the Consumer Code for Homebuilders and gives some vital clarity relating to the various new home codes of practice The 2 October 2024 Consumer Code for Homebuilders newsletter refers to 'misinformation risks' and 'confusion' for new build homebuyers and builders and opens with the punchy lines: 'We were disappointed to read reports quoting the New Homes Ombudsman stating that wher...