I am a conveyancing solicitor

[namechangedforanonreasons]

Hi
I am a conveyancing solicitor who is 2 years post qualified. I think there is lots of misconceptions about my job including how busy we are! AMA 😊

What takes soooooo loooong? Things take ages so there must be a reason for this or the whole service would be faster this getting more clients through.

Oh I thought this was going to be the start of a song.

In the style of Flanders and Swann.

A bit disappointed, - if I'm honest. 😟

Do you think people don't understand that most of your job involves waiting on third parties like the council, mortgage lender, etc

Would you recommend it? I'm planning on retraining as a solicitor and wonder if conveyancing could be enjoyable.

No. Sorry to hijack, but no.

@MonkeyPuddle I would say there are two main things which slow down the process. Firstly, I am often waiting on third parties (solicitor for the other side, management company, someone else in the chain, compliance etc) or secondly, I have so many files I cannot get to your file as quickly as I would like and therefore you have to wait until I have time to review it.

@Toooldtoworry definitely! People seem to think I can magic the answer out of thin air or sit on the phone and chase whoever I am waiting on all day. I have so many clients this would be impossible and often it is a matter of just being patient.

@PurpleChrayn I wouldn't particularly recommend it. Very fast paced and surprisingly stressful and not as well paid as most people think.

How many clients are you working for at a particular time?
Im currently in a very simple chain (family buying from family,) and it’s seems a drawn out process. I know there will be back room work which I don’t know about (similar to my own job!)

@MonkeyPuddle I currently have an individual case load of approx 150 files. Some of these are more active than others, but clients often do not realise the volume of work most conveyancing solicitors have.

We also do a lot of work which is 'unseen' and clients often become frustrated with legal issues which they see as a red tape. However, even if the client agrees to overlook an issue or it is a family transaction, if a lender is involved we also act for them and therefore, we have to ensure you are purchasing with 'good' title which is sufficient for the mortgage company to lend against.

I used to do legal secretarial work. When I did conveyancing I was always amazed at how much people paid Estate Agents who sometimes didn't even do tours and how little work they did in comparison. Considering they can talk to the chain they could be invaluable but often never knew what was going and in worst cases wanted their bonus so would disrupt the chain "chasing" which would often result in people getting cross and pulling out altogether. They also wasted time showing clients houses with subsidence/on flood planes etc when they had specifically asked not to see any (so buyer would have to pay for and wait for surveys and searches to reveal it). The client would then get angry at the solicitor! In my day would get appx £1k for doing all work for sale and purchase, while the EA would be getting £3k or similar!

I feel for you. It can be very thankless and frustrating considering how much work is needed for each file. I hope Agents have improved since the early 2000's!

How can it possible take so long?!

@MsMuffinWalloper sadly the situation is pretty much the same with EA. I have built a very good relationship with a couple which has been great as a source of work and also invaluable in lining the chain up. However, the vast majority chase unnecessarily, stir trouble with clients, make mistakes and often advertise the property incorrectly- I have had properties come to me and the buyer hasn't even been made aware it's shared ownership!

If you want to retrain as a lawyer avoid conveyancing as its dull and doesn't pay well. Also the majority of negligence claims against solicitors are against Conveyancers.

Why do the majority of Conveyancers still insist on using snail mail post rather than email or even picking up a phone to ask for something they require?

@Spirallingdownwards I haven't encountered the use of post rather than email. I send hundreds of emails a day and only 3/4 letters. Certain legal documents (such as TR1/mortgage Deed/contract etc) need to be hand signed and therefore need to be posted. Otherwise (with the exception of some post completion documents) we generally send everything via email.

Is it a conflict of interest to represent both the bottom and the top of the chain?

How much do you earn? (Sorry that's very personal but it is an AMA!)

And why did you go into conveyancing?

@GrumpySock no, it's not a conflict of interest. I have represented up to 3 different clients in the same chain-although this is far from ideal.

@jemimafuddleduck I earn £35k plus bonus payments (which are not particularly generous). However, in our firm we have paralegals who are running their own files and some of those earn minimum wage.

Thank you

Not you specifically, OP, but why are conveyancing solicitors often so bad at talking to one another?

What is the most outrageous request that you have known a client make if their buyer or vendor? (I appreciate you might need to obfuscate identifying details)

In general, what category if buyer or vendor causes most hassle or delay? E.g FTB? Cash? Probate?

Do you check out the properties you're dealing with on rightmove, so that you have an idea of what they are? Or do you do everything "blind', as it were, where everything is just a case number / title / client name?

On the topic of post, TR1s etc don't need to be posted out and signed in wet ink nowadays. Docusign is completely fine and has been accepted by the Land Registry for quite a few years now. What do you think is the reason for very slow adoption of modern working practices in resi conveyancing as opposed to commercial real estate or other commercial practice areas? Do you think clients would be suspicious of things like Docusign or is it just old school partners in high St firms failing to get with the times?

this is giving me flashbacks to my time as a conveyancer in the UK. It was a thankless job and highly stressful. I did it for 10 years

I am now a property solicitor in Jersey, although 20 years PQE and earning £80k.

Our transactions complete on average 4 weeks after agents instruction and it is so much less stressful that in the UK

You have my greatest admiration @namechangedforanonreasons I wouldn't do your job again for anything.

Everyone thinks you are shit before you even start and there is no client loyalty so you have to cut fees to survive.

Out of interest what fees do you charge on say a £200k purchase?

Interesting AMA thanks OP, I'm in a different area of law and have never done conveyancing.

Did you pick your area to qualify into? Do you have supportive leaders?