Why do solicitors..,..

[frostyfingers]

Continue to use the post and fax rather than email as a means of communication? We are up against things time wise with regards to selling our house and moving to rented and yet the solicitors involved seem to think that putting something in the post is a speedy method of communication.

If we do not exchange pronto then we can't get the rental property, then we will not be able to sell....they just don't seem to grasp the urgency at all.

Questions from the vendor were posted to us last Friday and didn't reach us until Tuesday - in the meantime we had contacted them on Monday and they had emailed the questions to us, we responded in 1 hour and they....posted the responses to the buyers. When we asked if they could email them they did so.

They know the timetable, it has been given to them at least twice yet they continue to move in the dark ages. It's driving us mad as we keep having to chase them. It's not just the solicitors we are using, the buyers ones are as slow too - again, knowing the timetable they only put in a local search last week (the offer was accepted at the end of February....), and surprise surprise that's what is holding us up.

It's doing my head in!

Because email is not secure, they are dealing with highly confidential documents.

Yes, but the questions needed basic yes/no/confirmed answers, there was nothing confidential with names or amounts or anything. I'm fine with the actual legal documentation being posted, and also copies of emails being posted but simple correspondence about dates and fixtures and fittings are surely safe by email?

I'm only ratty because I'm so stressed!

The one we are using does email!

Mine used email, or phone and that was a few years ago. But he was very good.

Ours used email too.

I think a lot of solicitors need a good kick up the backside. If I worked as inefficiently as lots of them did (in my own and my friends' experiences) I would be sacked.

The last one we used did do e-mail for non-confidentials and guaranteed next day delivery for confidential.
Commercial ones it is all hand delivered by them and us as all very time sensitive.

they are covering their own bums - they don't need to (email would do the same) but they like the security of the written paper. There are solicitors out there who will email everything if asked - we're abroad so they had to email everything to us - still took a bloody age though!

Solicitors love to justify high fees by engaging in long-winded, unnecessary procedures.
Conveyancing is a largely standardised process, using set forms which over the course of an entire sale or purchase would probably take less than a day in actual hours but if they revealed that, then they'd have a problem justifying the fees.
So many myths abound about why emails can't be used but a lot of it is because solicitors themselves can't be arsed. They prefer to dictate letters to tape and then wait for secretaries to listen to them and then waste time having them typed up and posted.

Last house move was hellish but helped by using a local solicitor so I dropped all docs off in person and got to know the receptionist and secretary very well... They did also email though.

No reason why solicitors can't use email. Just habit I guess.

DH is a different flavour of solicitor, was driven up the wall by our last conveyancers and their Royal-Mail-loving ways ("Why can't they just e-mail it FGS! They're living in the dark ages!")

What Greentown said.
I couldn't understand why they persisted in using the sowest, most old fashioned methods when we moved nearly 16 years ago when I was 9 months pregnant and trying to move before dc1 arrived - I'm stunned they still haven't cuaght up with communication systems now we are in the 21st Century.

sowest slowest

I'm glad it's not just me who gets frustrated then! We're now being royally pissed about with by the letting agents of the house we had hoped to rent, so it's probably going to all be in vain anyway. Another weekend of chewing my finger nails, and trying to explain to my dc's that we won't actually be homeless......

On all other things the solicitors have been fine - before Christmas they pulled everything together and we were ready to exchange 4 weeks after accepting the offer which then fell through because our buyers got cold feet 10 mins before they were due to sign - it just seems that because there wasn't a hurry initially they sat back and waited to be hassled.

I don't know but it is driving me absolutely barmy too

Drives me mad too. So I have engaged the solicitors next to my office ( we share toilets so I can even stake them out if I need to) and told them I will collect all documents.

We used solicitors who only communicated using email when we bought recently - the only thing we had to send paper copies of back was our mortgage declaration and that was for the bank. The seller's solicitors were very old school, but quickly pulled their fingers out when we told them that if their delaying caused us to become liable for stamp duty, we'd be looking to them to cover the costs. It's incredibly frustrating!

We used a solicitor based miles away when we bought. Almost everything was done via email or over the phone. I can recommend them - Simpson Millar.

I think it depends upon your Solicitor, we're in the middle of a house move and communication has been a mixture of letter, e-mails and phonecalls.

My solicitor is fab (actually I think the real talent lies with his secretary) we got gazumped and should have had high fees to pay which he wavered 50% of (and we were at exchange point)

He emails and rings me- to speed the process up. He also has a gr8 sense of humour which helps.

We are living in France and selling house in UK. Our solicitor has only communicated with us via email so far (although we posted hard copies of stuff back). We are due to exchange this week so it definitely can be done. To be honest I wouldn't have gone for a solicitor who wouldn't use email.