Life of a Conveyancing Solicitor – What’s it like?

Do you need a conveyancing solicitor?

What does their job entail exactly?

Conveyancing solicitors are responsible for the legal transfer of property from one party to another. This process can be complex and time-consuming, and it requires a great deal of knowledge and expertise.

As it is with many jobs, there can be all sorts of unexpected challenges in the process of relaying information from one person to another. 

Such is the nature of working with people – you just don’t know how complex things can get until you’re in it on the daily!

As such, conveyancing solicitors face a number of challenges in their work, such as:

• the complexity of the process – the transfer of property involves a number of legal documents and procedures, and it can be tricky to keep track of all the details. 

• the process can be lengthy – lawyers must be prepared to handle any potential delays or complications that may arise. 

• staying up-to-date on the latest laws and regulations – property laws can change quickly, and attorneys must be aware of any changes that could affect their clients. 

• handling any disputes that may arise during the process – disputes can be difficult to resolve, and solicitors must be prepared to handle them in a professional and timely manner. 

With this in mind, it’s easy to see how full a day in the life of a conveyancer can get with: 

• Continuously following up on emails that haven’t been replied to

• Making sure multiple clients are updated

• Work flow being interrupted by many and long phone calls

• Clients not answering phones or reading emails

• Wading through a weekends worth of email queries on a Monday

• Contract packs with documents missing

• Legally defective contract packs

• Mortgage offers with names spelt wrong

• Third party delays

• Regular meetings with the team

• Client not being able to provide any form of identification

• Buyer and seller moving dates clashing

• Instant replies expected when you’ve waited on them for weeks

• Not being able to go on leave without someone being upset

• Helping assistants with problem solving

• Reviewing client files and sending them personalised updates

• Needing to have all communication in writing

• Contracts signed by a person on behalf of a Trust that still needs to be formed

• The need for transfer documents urgently due to a client going away that day overseas for many months

• Double, triple, quadruple checking of documentation

• Empathising with client’s emotional highs and lows of the moving process

• Mortgage offers that are promised but seem to take forever to arrive

• Worrying that someone in the process might get cold feet and change their mind

Clearly effective time management is key in this role. And often the best way to approach most things is to consistently chip away at them and when you look again it’s all done.

So with the right knowledge and expertise, conveyancing solicitors can successfully navigate these challenges and provide their clients with the best possible service.