Norfolk Law Magazine of the Norfolk & Norwich Law Society - www.nnls.org - Winter 2021
At Last, starting to look normal!
Full picture story inside for the Annual Dinner and the September Law Walk - lets hope Covid is very much going away.
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This issue... Welcome to our closing issue for 2021, a year, like 2020, that most of us will want to put behind us. But this edition heralds a return to a kind of normality, with live events, pictures of people and a close to the year which has seen lawyers walking the streets again, enjoying fine dining, and recognising their peers. May that continue into 2022. Have a great Christmas and see you all again in 2022.
Contents 4
President’s Report
18
Excellence Award Winners 2021
5 Committee
20
Innovative products and searches for conveyancers
6
The Healthy Cake Option...
23
Landmark Moment for Gifts in Wills
8
Partnering with Index can help with your compliance.
24
Virtual Witnessing of Wills
10
Legal Walk 2021
28
Solicitors Accounts Rules Update
12
Annual Dinner in Pictures
30
The Changing Role of the Adviser
16
Book Reviews
32
Marketing in the new Conveyancing landscape
17
NCLS Celebrates Widened Reach and Impact
34
How can the Legal sector plan for cashflow?
Published by: EAST PARK COMMUNICATIONS Ltd. Unit 27a, Price St. Business Centre, Price St., Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside CH41 4JQ Tel: 0151 651 2776 simon@eastparkcommunications.co.uk www.eastparkcommunications.co.uk
Advertising Simon Castell Managing Editor Sue Bailey Layout Stuart Turner David Coffey
Accounts Tony Kay
Legal Notice © East Park Communications Ltd.
Published Winter 2021
None of the editorial or photographs may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publishers. East Park Communications Ltd would like to point out that all editorial comment and articles are the responsibility of the originators and may or may not reflect the opinions of East Park Communications Ltd. Correct at time of going to press.
© East Park Communications Ltd.
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4 - Norfolk Law - President’s Report
President’s Report As I come to the end of my term as President of the Norfolk and Norwich Law Society, I would firstly like to say an enormous thank you to all of the committee for the continued efforts and hard work. Can I thank in particular Claire Clarke, Jess Piper, Zak Virgin and Carla Morphett who have worked tirelessly as Administrator, Vice President, Treasurer and Honorary Secretary. ‘Hats off’ too to Stuart Turner and Ginny Colman in continuing to deliver greater content in this magazine. This hard work has meant that we have been able to continue to support the Norfolk and Norwich legal community with bespoke events and training and I’m pleased to say that our membership grows ever bigger and stronger.
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I hope too that everyone who attended had a wonderful time at the recent Annual Dinner and Excellence Awards, catching up with friends and colleagues and celebrating the achievements of our vibrant legal community. With our upcoming AGM and elections I know that the future of NNLS and its committee is in safe hands and I’m looking forward to continuing to support its efforts as Immediate Past President. Finally, can I wish everyone a (slightly early) very Merry Christmas and best wishes for a happy, safe and healthy new year. Thomas Bailey President, Norfolk & Norwich Law Society
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Partnering with Index can help with your compliance At Index, we understand that legal professionals need quick and consistent access to a whole range of tools to support them in providing an excellent service to their clients, whilst following compliance protocols. Property searches are at the core of what we do, but it is the added benefits of being an Index partner that really makes us different. Virtual working is now commonplace and is set to continue to some extent, on a permanent basis. Where technology enables teams to work from home at a certain level, there have also been challenges and it has opened-up opportunities for cyber criminals to take advantage of altered processes.
technology space to provide tried, tested and trusted solutions to our clients.
According to the SRA: “Criminals are taking advantage of the disruption caused by Covid-19 and the economic downturn. Firms are now more exposed than ever to the risk of being used for money laundering. Conveyancing is currently at further risk because the stamp duty land tax (SDLT) holiday aims to increase the number and value of property transactions.”
Using Thirdfort’s innovative mobile app, consumers are able to upload copies of photo ID which are automatically analysed to confirm the document provided is genuine. Consumers are also prompted to take a selfie and record a short video (a ‘liveness’ test) to ensure the individual completing the app journey matches the information provided on the ID document.
The disruption caused by working from home has certainly increased the challenges faced by those responsible for compliance. This is in part due to the lack of technology and processes needed to support the remote environment from a compliance perspective.
Thirdfort’s latest product also incorporates the use of ‘NFC’ technology that complies with the Land Registry’s Digital ID Standard. This allows consumers to instead scan the chip in their passport using their mobile phone, automatically extracting and validating the relevant information.
To respond to the rapidly changing situation, new LSAG Draft AML Guidance has recently been published to support legal professionals in complying with the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (as amended). It includes a new section on technology which addresses the need for firms to understand the technology they have, in order to use it effectively. According to The Law Society: “A legal practice must now have clearly documented Policies, Controls and Procedures (PCPs) based on their practice-wide risk assessment which include: • taken when new technology is adopted to protect against ML or TF risks. • Where practices use electronic identification and verification (EID&V) tools they should document the role of the tool, the data sources it uses, and in what circumstances (clients/matters) it is appropriate to use the solution.” At Index, we adopt an agile approach, where technology becomes an enabler for those responsible for compliance and with changing working patterns, we aim to help our legal clients to implement solutions to solve common issues. For example: we work with best-in-class industry leaders in the
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One example is the integration of our Index Platform with Thirdfort (www.thirdfort.com). Thirdfort is a leading Digital ID verification, AML and Source of Funds provider.
Open Banking technology allows consumers to connect their bank account(s) to Thirdfort’s app, providing solicitors with 6 months of bank statements and details of the largest ingoing and outgoing transactions. This data is provided along with the ID and AML information in a clear and easy to understand PDF report enabling solicitors to comply with all relevant regulations swiftly and remotely. All Thirdfort ID, AML and Source of Funds checks can be initiated and managed via the Index platform. Olly Thornton-Berry director, Thirdfort confirms: “Although the move to digital has been accelerated in the past 12 months, around 80% of all legal client onboarding is still completed manually. However, it costs just £30 to buy false bank statements online! Therefore, using the most advanced digital practices through the Thirdfort app integrated with Index’ platform, now means the whole client onboarding process can become digitalised and completed in a few minutes rather than weeks.” At Index, our goal is to bring the very latest solutions to our clients and importantly, supply the support and team behind the tech as this is what ultimately ensures it works. Our locally based, experienced
team understand the challenges faced by legal professionals and offer dedicated support to ensure technology integrations through our Index Platform are always as smooth as possible. In addition to solutions such as the integration with Thirdfort, we help legal professionals with their due diligence through providing risk management solutions such as Lawyer Checker which ensures client funds are sent to a legitimate bank account associated with the seller’s solicitors. We also work closely with Lexsure offering: LENDERmonitor - Enables lawyers to stay on top of lenders’ policy requirements as set out in Part 2 of their Handbook instructions. With 25% of all negligence claims against solicitors being brought by lenders, LENDERmonitor is an essential yet simple risk-mitigation tool. COMPLETIONmonitor - Intelligent, interactive online checklist and risk management system used by property lawyers, which can assist with securing or reducing law firms’ indemnity insurance and with securing/ retaining membership of lender panels. Finally, Index are proud to support the Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS). By working with Index and our partners we will help you to monitor and react to CQS standards thus ensuring compliance and confidence if audited. Not only will you be able to prove to lender panels that you adhere to the Law Society’s quality standards but put an attractive case to PI insurers that your firm is actively managing and mitigating risks. These are just a few examples of how we help employ the right solution enabled by the right technology all brought together through our user-friendly platform and supported by our dedicated teams, to enable legal professionals to focus on providing a better service for their clients. By Stuart Whaley, Director, INDEX East Anglia To find out more, call Index East Anglia on 01485 524320 or email eastanglia@indexpi.co.uk
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16 - Norfolk Law - Book Reviews
Book Reviews By Elizabeth Robson Taylor MA of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers, Reviews Editor, “The Barrister”, and Mediator
FAMILY LAW LEAVES THE EU A Summary Guide for Practitioners By Professor David Hodson OBE With specialist Public Child Law contribution by Maria Murphy ISBN 978 1 78473 475 6 Lexis Nexis/Family Law www.lexisnexis.co.uk A WELCOME STATEMENT ON WHERE FAMILY LAW WILL STAND IN 2021 This new guide from the Family Law imprint of LexisNexis is most welcome at a time when so much confusion reigns in the world caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Any practitioner who is faced with trying to understand where we will be with family law matters on leaving the European Union on the last day of 2020 will be relieved to read this innovative sort work from Professor David Hodson OBE. We welcome the important additional section on public child law written by Maria Murphy for those specialists involved with local authorities. We feel that this short paperback will be highly relevant to all family law practitioners as a quick accessible guide to the law and practice which will apply on the UK’s final departure from the EU on 31 December 2020. The government has indicated that the UK will not be party to any further EU laws from January 2021, instead relying on existing international laws such as the Hague Convention, to which we will be a party in our own right. There will also be new provisions to cover issues of national law, where previously EU law existed. Inevitably, some court procedures will need to change once the final break with Europe has taken place. This invaluable title gives us an overview of the legal position and the practical issues which are judged to arise in all areas of family law, including the preparatory steps which lawyers should take in readiness for departure, to advise clients as effectively as possible in the future. The key topics cover the main substantive family law areas depending on what you are looking for: the governing laws; divorce; financial aspects including remedies; the
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Hague Convention 2007; the Lugano Convention; private children law; public children law; domestic violence; the service and the taking of evidence, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), and legal aid; and potential areas of EU/ UK future co-operation in the post-Brexit era. When we woke up early on that morning of Friday 24th June 2016, many of us were looking at a most uncertain future. Hodson’s Family Law Leaves the EU bridges an important gap for family law practitioners as we grapple with the post Brexit era whilst fighting a world pandemic. Thank you. The date of publication of this paperback edition is cited as 20th October 2020. CLUSTERED INJUSTICE And the level green By Luke Clements ISBN 978 1 91364 807 7 LEGAL ACTION GROUP The access to justice charity www.lag.org.uk A NEW APPROACH FOR THOSE SUFFERING INJUSTICE IN THE 2020s This new Legal Action Group book from Professor Luke Clements of Leeds University is concerned with the legal problems encountered by people whose lives are disadvantaged. It covers a range of vulnerable people who are currently suffering disproportionately during the coronavirus pandemic, including disabled people, carers, homeless people, people on low incomes, people falling foul of immigration law – sadly, it is a long list. Those faced with this situation often experience what can be called “multiple and synchronous legal problems” (or ‘clustered problems’) for which, Clements suggests, “the traditional ‘single issue’ lawyering approach is ill equipped”. We can suggest that the problem is a matter of “standing up for justice” which is something LAG have been doing for the last thirty years. Such people – Clements quotes a
commentator, Stephen Wexler – ‘do not lead settled lives into which the law seldom intrudes; they are constantly involved with the law in its most intrusive forms’. As Luke Clements remarks, “their legal challenges don’t come in single discrete packages”, for example, a claim for personal injury, buying a house, or a divorce petition, “but are multiple, interlinked and successional”. Unsurprisingly, no sooner has one problem been addressed than another one is encountered. “Clustered Injustice” explores its causes and the effects, depicting “the harm that results and why core responsibility for this harm rest squarely with the State” – at least in the view of the author. His analysis relies upon ‘systems thinking’ and ‘vulnerability’ theories, as well as the use of gaming analogies to show “the invidious position of people who experience clustered injustice”, such as those compelled to “play legal and administrative games in which the odds are heavily stacked against them”. The book starts with an introduction of the meaning of “clustered injustice”. Clements warms to his theme developing the concept of “the grain of the law” by which the ‘loaded’ nature of the law and its bias towards those who enjoy ‘advantage’ is usefully explored. The book will dismay many readers who may not have seen some of the by-products of a partial negativity of the effect of the rule of law today so they could be in for a shock. What’s your problem? – the legal system’s inability to deal with entangled clusters of problems – except by fragmenting them into their disconnected elements; Juridification – the proliferation of laws and the problems that result: mental capacity and identity laws as examples; Parcelling-out of the soul – public sector bureaucracies and the damage caused by ‘command and control’ systems; Harm – the physical and mental harm caused to those experiencing clustered injustice; Doing justice – how a responsive state would and should address the phenomenon of clustered injustice. An excellent appendix at the back of this short book offers brief overviews of various groups who experience clustered injustice. It is a book which we commend all legal practitioners to read during these difficult times. The date of publication of this new paperback edition from LAG is cited as 25th November 2020.
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18 - Norfolk Law - Awards For Excellence
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20 - Norfolk Law - Advertorial
Providing innovative products and expert searches for the ever-busy conveyancing sector X-Press Legal Services Norfolk & Suffolk is a property search company that provides expert reports to solicitors and conveyancing professionals across the region. The company has been supporting the conveyancing sector throughout the past year, as the property market boom has seen increased demand and pressure across the sector.
“Our products are constantly being innovated, ensuring your data is absolutely safe in our hands. Many new clients who came onboard during the pandemic were attracted by our range of digital services and our security innovations, including being the first search company to achieve a Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation and a Gold Standard partnership with FormEvo and SDLT.co.uk.
Owner of the company, Ashley Peters comments: “We have been working flat out due to the increased demand for our searches, which are a real measure of demand in the property market generally. We have seen higher levels of searches than ever before, increasing 50% since the stamp duty holiday started.”
“We pride ourselves on making it as easy as possible for conveyancers to deliver legal services to their clients, providing a ‘one-stop shop’ for all your search needs. We save our clients time and money with our product range and specialist reports, helping to ensure property transactions reach completion with the minimum of fuss.”
Part of a 27-office network across England and Wales, X-Press Legal Services Norfolk & Suffolk provides a complete range of property searches and reports.
With over 20 years’ experience, X-Press Legal Services is one of the top ten search providers in the UK. Trusted by more than 500 legal practices in England and Wales, the firm produces a staggering 400,000+ conveyancing searches and reports each year.
Ashley continues: “Law firms are increasingly turning to us as we can provide all the same products and services as larger search companies, but also provide the customer service of a local company. We are able to get to know our clients personally and form strong relationships, an important factor during an increasingly digital age.
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For more information about X-Press Legal Services Norfolk and Suffolk visit www.xpresslegal.co.uk/offices/norfolk-suffolk/ or please call Ashley Peters on 0330 159 5358. or Jo French on 0330 1595 356.
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Landmark Moment for Gifts in Wills: The 1 Million Charitable bequests donated over 10 years
Poppy’s
Consortium celebrates landmark legacy moment at start of Remember A Charity Week
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strive to build back and strengthen resilience for whatever the future holds. “Remember A Charity Week is a great opportunity for legal advisers to open up conversation about gifts in Wills and to help ensure that all clients are aware of the opportunity of including a gift in their Will, after taking care of family and friends.” Remember A Charity runs a Campaign Supporter scheme for legal professions, offering information and resources for solicitors, Will-writers and professional advisers about raising the topic of gifts in Wills with clients. Find out more at: http://www.rememberacharity.org.uk/ solicitor *Source: Legacy Foresight, 2021
06 September 2021, London: A landmark goal for charitable bequests has been reached with over one million gifts in Wills donated to charities over the past decade, according to figures released to coincide with the launch of Remember A Charity Week (06-12 September 2021). With over 100,000 charitable bequests left in Wills each year, more than one million gifts were donated from 2010/11 to 2019/20, data from Smee & Ford shows. Over that time, cumulative legacy income to UK charities exceeded £23 billion, funding vital services across the country. Appetite for legacy giving continues to grow and, despite recent delays at probate, the number of charitable bequests is predicted to rise by 30% over the decade.* The 200-strong charity consortium Remember A Charity launches its week-long public awareness campaign today, encouraging people across the country to consider leaving a gift in their Will. A collaborative initiative, the campaign brings charities together with 1,300 legal professionals to champion legacy giving across the UK. Head judge of Dancing with the Stars, Len Goodman, is supporting the campaign, having altered his own Will to include a charity. Rob Cope, director of Remember A Charity, says: “Legacy giving can be transformational for UK charities and it’s wonderful to consider the phenomenal impact of those gifts. Donations have long been on the rise, but the global pandemic has accelerated that growth, shining a spotlight on the critical role of charities in our communities and the importance of Will-writing. This funding is critical for the sector as we
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Virtual witnessing of Wills could be a major step forward for legacy giving providing safeguards are met.
Remember A Charity has welcomed the Ministry of Justice’s announcement that Wills witnessed by video will be legally accepted in what could be a ‘major step forward’ for legacy giving. The new law applies to Wills made from 31 January 2020 – the first recognised case of Covid-19 in the UK – and is expected to remain in place until January 2022. The announcement reflects the increase in the number of people seeking to make Wills during the Covid 19 pandemic and the challenges for those who are shielding or selfisolating to follow the normal legalities of making a Will – namely it being witnessed by two people. Rob Cope, director of Remember A Charity, says, “Modernisation of UK Will-making is long overdue and, although the changes announced today are temporary measures, this could be a major step forward for legacy giving, making it easier for people to set out their final wishes. “Ultimately, the more people that write a Will, the greater the potential for including a charitable donation. Even a small increase in the proportion of people leaving a gift in their Will could generate millions for good causes each year.” “But, as is so often the case, the devil is in the detail. The Will-making environment needs to have rigour, with sufficient safeguards in place to protect the public, particularly those who may be vulnerable. “Video is a great option when witnesses can’t be physically present, but it does needs to be treated cautiously, with care and consideration. And the role of legal and financial advisers will be critical in helping the public finalise their wishes legally, minimising the likelihood of dispute.” Since the pandemic took hold in the UK in mid-March, demand for Will-writing and charitable bequests has risen considerably, with Remember A Charity receiving twice as much traffic to the ‘Making a Will’ section of its website.
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Rob adds, “The pandemic has helped people see the importance of getting their affairs in order and encouraged us all to reflect on those things we truly care about. This includes the charities that so many of us rely upon and the causes we are passionate about in our lifetimes.”
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Solicitors Accounts Rules Update It is nearly two years since the Solicitors Accounts Rules were updated, and while the new rules have generally been well received, they have thrown up a couple of issues regarding client money which still require attention.
down to the practice to ensure there are proper review procedures in place to spot where funds have lain dormant for a period of time.
The new rules centre around keeping client money safe, with some specific requirements, such as regular bank reconciliations signed off by the COFA, maintaining a central register of client accounts and a separate record of transactions carried out in respect of the client’s own account. The rules put the onus on individual practices to set out their own procedures, timescales and controls to ensure they are compliant.
The word ‘promptly’ appears frequently in the new rules, with individual practices encouraged to set out and document their own time frames which fit the needs of their individual business, whilst ensuring that client money is protected. There is an expectation that each firm will have its own explicit policies, which they will then be expected to comply with. Our experience from the past 22 months suggests that it is here that some practices are falling down, failing to put in place adequate policies.
One of the main pitfalls we are seeing is regarding dormant client balances. Where there is no longer a proper reason to hold the funds, the balances should be returned ‘promptly’ to the client. It is
Red flags such as breaches happening too often, those concerning high values, breaches not being corrected in a timely manner and loss of client money, are all likely to attract an
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auditor’s attention. As accountants, we report on the practice’s compliance with the Solicitors Accounts Rules. We assess whether any breaches or weaknesses found are considered “significant,” or have put client money at risk. Any such issues would be reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). The SRA has some useful guidance on the subject here: https://www.sra. org.uk/solicitors/guidance/clientsown-account/, and we at Lovewell Blake are very happy to offer practical advice on ensuring robust policies and procedures are in place to help your practice operate in line with the Accounts Rules. We love to work closely with our clients to put in place and review proper policies and accounting systems, that are tailored to their individual businesses.
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The Changing Role of the Adviser Charles Stanley Wealth Managers is committed to providing our professional partners with practical support and insight. To that end, we joined forces with research consultancy Platforum to provide insight into the different attitude¬¬s and behaviours toward money across generations, cultures and social class, in addition to their perceived value of advice. The result is a great source of practical insight into the changing role of the adviser. There are many reasons why people seek professional advice and although advisers and clients agree that advice is valuable, they have different if overlapping priorities. Reasons for seeking professional advice
Impact of Covid-19
Advisers must be able to identify when the whole family approach is appropriate and when it is not, as well as how far their responsibilities might extend.
Source: October 2020. Which, if any, of the following things has coronavirus (Covid-19) prompted you to do? Base: 2128 British adults aged 18+ (18-24: 209. 25-34: 324. 3544: 400. 45-54: 317. 55-64: 342. 65-74: 422. 75+ 114.) Whatever the reason for seeking advice, one quality that clients repeatedly mentioned across responses was their adviser’s ability to explain their advice and its rationale clearly and in plain language without being patronising.
Source: October 2020. In general, in which, if any, of the following scenarios do you think it would be worth seeking a professional adviser (e.g. a financial adviser, accountant etc.) to talk to about your finances? Base: 2,128 British adults aged 18+ Naturally, the desire to seek advice is heavily dependent on age (as a proxy for past experience). Younger people are more likely to want help in general, while older people are less likely to want any help at all. Even though older people are much more likely to be consumers of professional advice, they are also likely to be more confident. When considering a client’s priorities, it is also important to consider the impact of Covid-19 on families. People’s attitudes towards their personal finances have been shaken by Covid-19. Many individuals have lost jobs, been furloughed or taken pay cuts. Others are saving more money than before, cutting back on commuting, holidays and other activities. Covid-19 has also led many to consider their mortality and make plans for the future.
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family covering more than one generation. This has benefits for both clients and advisers’ businesses – but to be effective and appropriate, it may need changes in the business’ practices and the organisation.
Advisers will likely need to work closely with other professionals when it comes to some more complex affairs such as property or businesses. Advisers should bear in mind that clients might have relationships with several professionals. You might not be the first point of contact and they may first approach another professional in their circle of advice before bringing you in. As such, maintaining your professional network and relationships is just as important as your client relationships. “For a whole lot of things – some relating to personal matters – people tend to come to their accountant first. Their expectation is that the accountant knows everything, right down to mortgages. We provide information on everything, although sometimes that’s just telling them that they need go to a financial planner or lawyer. We are the link and sometimes provide the documents that are needed.” - Accountant Traditionally professional advice typically focused on the individual client and his or her partner or spouse. Now, however, many clients and their advisers increasingly see the value of extending involvement to the whole
Conflicts of interest are inherent with intergenerational arrangements. Some clients either don’t have close family relations or are not concerned to benefit the younger generation of their relatives. At the end of the day, an adviser has to remember that there are likely to be just one – or possibly two individuals – to whom they are finally accountable. “We’ve both been talking about buying this property and putting it in their [the children’s] names if that’s possible. But we need to get advice from a solicitor.” - Female, 60-70, East Midlands Ultimately the vision should be the client’s not the adviser’s. The adviser is there to raise issues, make suggestions, provoke interest, point out possible snags. They are there to awaken, articulate and reflect their clients’ aims – not to determine them. Where the adviser attempts to do any more than this, the client’s trust may be compromised.
For more information on our support for professional advisers, or for information on how Charles Stanley could partner with you, please contact a member of our Norwich team.
01603 856 932 www.charles-stanley.co.uk/norwich-office Past performance is not a reliable guide to future returns. The value of investments, and any income derived from them, can fall as well as rise. Investors may get back less than originally invested. Charles Stanley & Co. Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Glenn Baker, Charles Stanley Wealth Managers
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Marketing your service in the new conveyancing landscape Once the conveyancing industry emerges from the current high numbers of instructions and stamp duty deadline, what’s next? Ensuring your practice remains competitive in the face of online conveyancing, panels and agency referrals can see like an uphill battle, and, without a dedicated marketing resource, you may feel that your business development efforts can be limited. Luckily there are plenty of approaches and tools that all the conveyancing team can take advantage of, and many of these can managed in-house. We present some clear steps to help you reach new and previous homebuying customers, whatever the marketing budget and resource you have available to you. Branding and differentiation In this digital age it can be easy to forget the importance of brand in conveyancing. There are thousands of definitions of “brand” but, keeping it simple, it’s really about differentiating your service, adding to the value that your service offers and communicating this effectively. Whilst building a strong brand may seem more relevant to heavy-lifting consumer companies, it’s not out of reach to smaller, more traditional businesses and, no, not even to conveyancers! Buying a property is an significant commitment and the nature of the conveyancing process presents lots of opportunities for the conveyancer to build and communicate value to their customers. Customer insight is key to this. As a conveyancer you’ll be used to dealing with different types of client, but can you truthfully say that you know what your clients look like, what’s important to them and structure this information in a useful way? If you have a marketing team, some of this work may have been completed, but even without a marketing resource, a lot of useful information can be gleaned from customer feedback. This can come to you directly or via Google, but if you’re not getting that all-important insight, why not consider a quick customer satisfaction survey, or hand out a short questionnaire to new customers or at any local events you may attend? The findings can often surprise you and can help you shape your brand, content and messaging to the needs of your market. There’s often a wealth of knowledge hidden within the company so working with colleagues to structure this can be invaluable, supporting brand building and possibly even a simple customer client segmentation to information the experience for different types of home-buying clients. Optimising the value of client enquiries All businesses can lose sight of the quality enquiries that they receive about their service and, for busy conveyancers in particular, it can be difficult to find the time to analyse enquiries in a useful way. In the same way as the branding
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exercise, however, it’s amazing what can learnt from reviewing different conveyancing enquiries received by your practice. All members of the team can be involved in this exercise and can brainstorm how responses ought to be handled. Ask colleagues to come up with ideas on the main benefits of instructing your firm and the best of these ideas can incorporated into different approaches used for outbound calling. Having the right skills It’s also worth considering whether you are using the right people to follow up enquiries. Administrative staff may be highly skilled in providing conveyancing information and quotes, but may not be engaging with customers particularly well. Analysing the success of different colleagues involved in responding and call-backs can be useful in identifying if any have a natural talent for converting enquiries into business. Successful approaches can then be replicated. Although universally unpopular, role-playing different phone conversations can be really good for training staff and helping them to optimise calls to potential clients. If you don’t have anyone with the right skills internally though, this is an area where investment in external sales training can really pay off. There are some very simple techniques that used to improve confidence and raise conversion rates. Timing As mentioned above, customer experience is incredibly important when dealing with a conveyancer. If your team has been providing a great customer experience, you should have no problems in attracting back former clients, but the key, of course, is to know when they are back in the market for your conveyancing services. Using a service to alert you to former clients listing their property for sale allows you to contact them at precisely the point they require a conveyancing service. And neither GDPR nor the SRA Publicity Codes are barriers to using such a service. Conveyancers can use Legitimate Interest as the basis for processing former client data, and Version 19 of the SRA Code excludes current and former clients from the prohibition on unsolicited approaches. Conveyancing Alert services are often offered by search providers and can be tailored to your budget. Ready to give it a go?
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How can the legal sector plan for cashflow?
The relentless business world in which we operate continues to evolve and the list of matters for business owners to consider is ever growing, especially in the light of HMRC reforms.
beneficial to look at prospective partner changes in conjunction with the Income Tax: basis period reform to determine what affect this will have in the coming years. This will give businesses the best chance to plan for any future cash requirements.
HMRC recently announced that the “Income Tax: basis period reform” has been delayed until at least April 2024. This may give businesses a little more breathing space, however, if and when the reform is enacted, there are a number of matters to consider, not least the impact on cashflow.
Please get in touch with our legal team if you would like to discuss anything. You can find contact details on the Our People section of the Larking Gowen website www.larking-gowen.co.uk. Alternatively, call 0330 024 0888 or email enquiry@larkinggowen.co.uk.
Another significant cashflow issue for a business arises on the entry and exit to the business of any owner. As such, it may be
John Atkins Larking Gowen
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