Buyers/Sellers Solicitor

[Moooooooooooooooooo]

Is the same solicitor able to act for the buyer and seller of the same property?

I’d have thought it’d be a conflict of interests, but I’m not certain by any stretch...

Why would either party even want this unless within a family?

Conflict of interest to use the same solicitor, but could use the same firm I believe as long as there was separation (e.g. different teams / solicitor overseeing).

But I certainly wouldn't want it.

No. It’s a conflict of interest.

I've had two solicitors from same firm in a buy/sell situation. We did sign a acknowledging we knew this.
I think they forgot though - I got the same 'waiting for the other side to get back to me' line. Like he's right across the hall, go knock on the door!

@Changingwiththetimes

I've had two solicitors from same firm in a buy/sell situation. We did sign a acknowledging we knew this. I think they forgot though - I got the same 'waiting for the other side to get back to me' line. Like he's right across the hall, go knock on the door!

How could they forget when all emails and postal addresses would have been evident?!

No, it would be a conflict of interest.

In theory you could use different lawyers at the same firm, but in reality I wouldn’t recommend it as there can be problems.

@Changingwiththetimes

I've had two solicitors from same firm in a buy/sell situation. We did sign a acknowledging we knew this. I think they forgot though - I got the same 'waiting for the other side to get back to me' line. Like he's right across the hall, go knock on the door!

I had similar. I was both buyer and seller of a property (acting as seller as trustee and buyer as personal), using two different firms of solicitors, one for buyer and one for seller. The buying solicitor wrote to me saying the delay was the seller not answering questions which was funny really as I was the seller and had answered the questions weeks previously - she'd had a complete brain fog that I was buyer and seller (she knew that as it had all been fully disclosed). They obviously have a "bank" of excuses for their delays to just pass the blame to someone else.

Our buyers and our sellers are using the same office, at the same firm as ours, but ours is in a different town. We were hoping it would speed things up, but doesn't appear to be the case so far...

Cheers all.

Licensed Conveyancers can so long as they have different partners overseeing the files.
We do it a lot where I work.