header-logo header-logo

21 May 2021 / Veronica Cowan
Issue: 7933 / Categories: Features , Profession , Conveyancing , Property , Technology
printer mail-detail

A bright future for conveyancing

49434
Advances in technology, spurred on by the challenges of the pandemic & remote working, mean electronic conveyancing has come into its own, as Veronica Cowan reports
  • Electronic conveyancing can bring the added benefits of speed and improved customer service.
  • Legal technology solutions are essential to business continuity.

For many professional conveyancing lawyers, the pandemic has sharpened their focus on the benefits and challenges of electronic conveyancing and encouraged them to adopt a more digitised approach to progressing property transactions. There has been a rapid shift from manual to digital ID checks, accelerated by the social restrictions of the past year, explains Olly Thornton-Berry, co-founder and managing director of anti-fraud experts Thirdfort.

‘At the same time, law firms transitioning to remote working, social distancing restrictions and a turbulent economy have created a perfect storm for identity fraud. Demand has been driven by necessity and huge growth has occurred in the use of digital solutions like automated anti-money-laundering checks and ID verification, which tools are backed by regulators, government

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
back-to-top-scroll