Years ago, the department of transport spent millions of pounds widening the M40 and merely ended up relocating traffic jams a few miles down the road from Greenford into west London. It was fundamentally a good idea, but in reality, merely helped a few people get into London more quickly outside the busiest periods.
For people buying and selling properties, the experience can be very similar to sitting in lines of traffic - aggravating, slow and completely unpredictable.
That's why, in theory, the Law's Society's latest attempt to speed up conveyancing with its Veyo conveyancing project, whose logo is an orange bunny, is laudable and well-intentioned.
Sadly, in our opinion, it is doomed to fail and will join a growing list of failed projects designed to improve the conveyancing process.
The previous government tried to help with Home Information Packs, which even the most cynical estate agents now recognise was a good idea, undermined by poor implementation and party politics.
The Land Registry tried with their "econveyancing" project of centralising transactions, which was very sensible as they control the transactional data, but sadly, again, was let down by delays and inertia.
Whilst we salute the Law Society's gallant efforts to try and help their fee-paying members like us, we feel that maybe they should have talked to someone first before embarking on this exercise in futility.
There are fundamental problems with chains and keeping systems updated that they don't seem to have taken into account.
Unless everyone in a chain is using the same system, then, like today, transactions will only be able to move at the pace of the slowest element. If only a couple of law firms in a chain are using Veyo, the benefits will be extremely limited. This means that whilst it may well speed up certain elements of communication, overall, it will have minimal impact on overall transaction times.
Secondly, given that most lawyers are already struggling to keep their internal case management systems updated, if they are expected to keep another system updated as well, the chances seem slim at best. Any direct integration between case management systems will lag at least six months behind the launch, by which time, its credibility will be sorely tested.
If Veyo ever does see the light of day, the reality will be a system with incomplete data from only part of a chain, containing information that is likely to be out of date and therefore cannot be trusted.
We would suggest that the Law Society reconsiders its revolutionary plans for conveyancing before it meets a similar fate to a cuddly bunny that strays onto the Westway.
The results are going to be messy and probably a bit bloody.
Saturday 28 February 2015
Sunday 1 February 2015
The legal "profession" really needs to grow up a bit ...
OK - we'll admit it.
As relative newcomers to the legal business, we understand that traditional law firms are upset by the changes that companies like ours are bringing to the house buying and selling process.
When we started the company five years ago, we were told of a "dive to the bottom" and the good old days when solicitors were respected were well and truly behind us. People would say "it's such a shame, law used to be considered a profession, now it is just a business". Indeed, we are constantly on the receiving end of numerous patronising comments and criticism from competitors, purely because our business wasn't established before those new computer-things were invented.
However, even we were surprised when a client came to us this week, who had been upset by an email from her former solicitor when she asked him to send her documents to us. His response to her very polite and professional email was extraordinary. "I try and look after all of my clients ... in the expectation they will remain loyal ... the estate agents urged you to use their pet solicitors but it is difficult not to hide my disappointment that you have chosen not to use me."
REALLY?
Sadly, we see this hard-done-by sentiment all too often.
Whether it is complaining about estate agent fees, trying to score points by blaming someone else, or just merely upset that they have lost business to a competitor, such schoolyard histrionics seem part and parcel of the daily life of some property lawyers.
To be clear. The legal market is going through some major changes and will continue to do so.
However, contrary to what many lawyers believe, these changes are not about fees, but about service, which is borne out in numerous surveys. The challenge is that service goes beyond being knowledgeable and doing the work properly. It's also about acting in a professional manner at all times with everyone involved in the transaction.
We think that its probably time for many law firms to sit up and take notice and would like to offer some general pointers to those who are not clear what professional service really entails;
- Answer your telephone
- Return telephone calls
- Offer solutions not problems
- Don't expect respect as you've been doing this for years or have the word "Partner" in your email signature
- Charge appropriate fees so that you can employ enough people
In our opinion, it would make all our lives a lot easier if everyone involved in the legal side of the house selling and buying process started to show a little more maturity and rather less nit-picking grandstanding.
In this way, maybe our jobs would be easier and all our clients would receive a better service.
And perhaps they might even refer their friends.
As relative newcomers to the legal business, we understand that traditional law firms are upset by the changes that companies like ours are bringing to the house buying and selling process.
When we started the company five years ago, we were told of a "dive to the bottom" and the good old days when solicitors were respected were well and truly behind us. People would say "it's such a shame, law used to be considered a profession, now it is just a business". Indeed, we are constantly on the receiving end of numerous patronising comments and criticism from competitors, purely because our business wasn't established before those new computer-things were invented.
However, even we were surprised when a client came to us this week, who had been upset by an email from her former solicitor when she asked him to send her documents to us. His response to her very polite and professional email was extraordinary. "I try and look after all of my clients ... in the expectation they will remain loyal ... the estate agents urged you to use their pet solicitors but it is difficult not to hide my disappointment that you have chosen not to use me."
REALLY?
Sadly, we see this hard-done-by sentiment all too often.
Whether it is complaining about estate agent fees, trying to score points by blaming someone else, or just merely upset that they have lost business to a competitor, such schoolyard histrionics seem part and parcel of the daily life of some property lawyers.
To be clear. The legal market is going through some major changes and will continue to do so.
However, contrary to what many lawyers believe, these changes are not about fees, but about service, which is borne out in numerous surveys. The challenge is that service goes beyond being knowledgeable and doing the work properly. It's also about acting in a professional manner at all times with everyone involved in the transaction.
We think that its probably time for many law firms to sit up and take notice and would like to offer some general pointers to those who are not clear what professional service really entails;
- Answer your telephone
- Return telephone calls
- Offer solutions not problems
- Don't expect respect as you've been doing this for years or have the word "Partner" in your email signature
- Charge appropriate fees so that you can employ enough people
In our opinion, it would make all our lives a lot easier if everyone involved in the legal side of the house selling and buying process started to show a little more maturity and rather less nit-picking grandstanding.
In this way, maybe our jobs would be easier and all our clients would receive a better service.
And perhaps they might even refer their friends.
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