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Ben Harris, sales and marketing director at leading property data & service provider tmgroup, has been announced as a judge at the first annual Eclipse Proclaim Modern Law Conveyancing Awards 2016.

These new awards will recognise those taking the lead in innovating to find unique solutions for their businesses and clients, those who have achieved successes as teams or individuals, and those championing client care.

tmgroup are sponsoring the Innovation of the Year Award where the judges will be looking for innovative projects or products that have either transformed a key element of a department’s culture or performance; or where a firm has broken new ground in the delivery of services to clients.

Ben Harris, Sales & Marketing Director at tmgroup said:

“I’m very much looking forward to seeing the entries and am really pleased to have been asked to join the esteemed panel for the launch of the awards. Innovation in the conveyancing sector is something that is close to our heart at tmgroup as the sector continues to streamline systems and processes to improve the way the property transactions are managed.”

The winners will be chosen by an esteemed judging panel, who have been selected based on their knowledge and experience of the industry. Chairing the panel is Eddie Goldsmith, senior partner at Goldsmith Williams and Chair of the Conveyancing Association.

Judges

Ben Harris, Sales & Marketing Director, tmgroup
Jonathan Smithers, President of the Law Society
Sheila Kumar, Chief Executive, CLC
Simon Law, Chairman, SLC
Heather Cameron, Editor, Todays Conveyancer
Rob Hailstone, Founder, Bold Legal Group
Andrew Stenning, MD, Searches UK
Graham Farrant, Chief Executive, The Land Registry

Awards to be held on Thurs 14th July, The Rum Warehouse, Liverpool.
Book tickets now

Applications close on Friday 22nd April.
How to enter

Ben Harris, sales and marketing director at leading property data & service provider tmgroup, has been announced as a speaker at LegalEx 2016 and will be explaining to conveyancers why they’re ‘worth it’.

BECAUSE YOU’RE WORTH IT
Conveyancing Theatre
Thursday 12th May | 5pm – 5.45pm

In this challenging time of increased competition and pressure on fees, proving your worth in the property transaction has never been more important.

The recent Home Moving Trends survey of more than 5400 home movers, conducted by the Property Academy in partnership with tmgroup, revealed that the vast majority of consumers rated their conveyancers highly for various aspects of service, including communication, proactivity and value for money.

Allied to this is the fact that just 1 in 10 home movers surveyed in 2015 chose the property solicitor that quoted the cheapest fees.

In this engaging session, Ben will reveal 5 key areas in which conveyancers can show their value to potential clients, providing real examples of firms that don’t sell themselves short.

ABOUT BEN HARRIS
Sales and Marketing Director at tmgroup

Ben joined tmgroup as a Director in 2012, having previously headed up the UK’s largest Estate Agency network where he was heavily involved in the industry’s efforts to improve the home moving process and increase overall transactional transparency for all involved. Recognised over the last few years as one of the most influential online property experts, Ben has a particular passion for how firms can be more effective in serving their customers’ needs using the latest technology available.

ABOUT LEGALEX

Described as “the UK’s fastest growing legal event”, LegalEx focuses on “The Business Behind Law”. Taking place on 11th and 12th May 2016 at ExCel in London, tickets are free – book yours now at http://www.legalex.co.uk/

ABOUT TMGROUP
tmgroup are one of the UK’s leading providers of data and services to property solicitors.

We believe a property transaction should be easier, quicker and safer. Our mission is to change the way a property transaction is managed by providing services to multiple stakeholders – including the consumer – that enable collaboration and create efficiencies.

Come and see us at LegalEx 2016 - stand L570 near the Conveyancing theatre. 

The Law Society has predicted that law firms will be employing fewer solicitors by 2020, with the evolution & increased implementation of technology in the legal sector the driving force behind this change.

This is just one of a series of predictions made by the Law Society in their new report on the future of legal services, which looks at how the market will change over the next five years and tmgroup have taken a look at what the predicted drivers are that will impact on conveyancers.

In the report the Law Society say that “it seems inevitable that solicitors and lawyers face a future of change on a varied scale, depending on area of practice and client types. Business as usual is not an option for many, indeed for any, traditional legal service providers. Innovation in services and service delivery will become a key differentiating factor.”

The drivers of change that the Law Society say are likely to impact on conveyancers are:

Technological and process innovation
The legal sector is no different to any other in that it will feel the effects of technological progression. The initial trend over the coming years will be for technology to facilitate the automation of routine work, but after 2020 there could be more innovation employed, for example with the mode of delivery or service solutions.

New entrants and types of competition
The Law Society believe that there will be three variables likely to have an impact on firms’ profitability: Changing buyer behaviours; threat of substitute suppliers; and increasing rivalry amongst large corporate firms. By 2020 the Big 4 accountancy firms should have made their presence felt in the legal services market, readying themselves for changes to the ABS rules in other currently closed markets.

The future
As technology evolves, the Law Society predict that there will be fewer solicitors as the automation of legal services results in more work being done by paralegals or using technological platforms.
tmgroup Marketing Director Ben Harris commented on the report saying:

“In many ways, the Law Society’s report echoes what tmgroup have been working with our customers on over recent years. Conveyancers are already using services that will streamline their processes so that people can get the best out of technology; freeing them from manual tasks and empowering them to get on with their work.

From reducing the time taken to order a simple bundle of searches or ordering reports on large portfolios of properties through to streamlining their communication with consumers and working with online document collaboration, conveyancers are benefitting from these innovations right now”.

To speak to someone about how your firm can benefit from these innovations contact tmgroup on 0844 249 9200 or email helpdesk@tmgroup.co.uk

Download the Law Society's report

A new year means new opportunities — and, of course, new challenges — especially for business. So what does 2015 have in store? Ben Harris, TM Group Sales & Marketing Director, explores the top 5 challenges that conveyancers face this year.

From adapting to advances in technology and economic changes, to retaining customers and recruiting top talent, conveyancers will have a lot of issues to handle. How business leaders face these challenges might just make or break their businesses. So, in no particular order...

Finding and recruiting top talent
As the economy continues to grow and the unemployment rate continues to fall, the already small pool of applicants with the right skills to work in your business will be further diminished. Many of the largest conveyancing firms have resorted to opening their own training academies in order to develop their own talent, but firms without the deep pockets to embark on such a solution should at least have a clear strategy in place.

Risk management
To many this is a dry and repetitive subject but, with 163 SRA fraud alerts between January and November 2014 and 90% of identity thefts reported to them being rated 'red' or 'amber', risk management is a growing issue that shows no sign of disappearing. 70% of PI claims relate to conveyancing so it is crucial for conveyancers to take this seriously in 2015 and have the systems and process in place to protect themselves and their businesses.

Meeting customer expectations
This year's Home Moving Trends Report showed that consumers value professionalism, proactivity and communication skills and are prepared to pay for it. A combined six out of every ten respondents to the survey also said they were influenced in their decision of conveyancer by a third party, so if you can meet their expectations you will be well on your way to meeting the next challenge facing conveyancers this year...

Attracting new business
Most of a conveyancing firm's growth is largely dictated by the market and, with most commentators predicting a flat 2015, the only ways firms are going to increase the size of their business is by acquisition of other law firms or by attracting more customers. Winning business on your local high street was top of the agenda in our August 2014 survey with most firms telling us that building relationships with third party introducers, such as estate agents and mortgage brokers, is their biggest priority.

Managing your online reputation
Law firms can no longer ignore the online conversations that are taking place about your brand, because they will continue to happen whether you like it or not. Firms that take the time to identify and respond to negative online feedback about their brand can turn these negative experiences into positives. So far the conveyancing world has escaped the impact that a TripAdvisor-style review site has had on many other professions, but now is the time to get smart about your online reputation before it’s too late.

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