tm blog

Property remains by far and away the work type that attracts the most claims against solicitors. Over the last few years, property claims represent around 40% of all claims, although this peaked at 60% in 2010.

Due to the high level of claims, it is no surprise then that underwriters rate both residential and commercial conveyancing as the highest-rated work that a law firm undertakes.

Accreditation such Lexcel and CQS will be viewed positively, but the single biggest factor is that risk management cannot just a tick-box exercise; it has to be engrained within the culture of the firm.

Strong case management processes and procedures, case supervision and checklists are all important and, with PII renewal on the horizon, it may be timely to let underwriters know how you manage various risks in the conveyancing process.

There are many ways to help reduce the level of risk associated with conveyancing transactions, here's five of them:

A new whitepaper report on Mortgage Fraud has revealed that the majority of lenders surveyed consider 'solicitor negligence' to be the biggest fraud risk to their business.

The survey of more than 28 mortgage lenders shows that more than a third of the lenders fear 'solicitor negligence' but this can manifest in various forms and have serious consequences for the solicitor as well as the lender.

In a recent survey, mortgage lenders identified 'solicitor negligence' as the greatest risk to their businesses.

Mortgage fraud is a threat that is growing each year; in its 2013 Annual Fraud Indicator report, the National Fraud Authority estimated the annual loss attributed to mortgage fraud to be £1bn. Meanwhile, the SRA received 549 reports of bogus law firms in 2013, a 57 percent increase on the number from 2012.