Difference between Licensed Conveyancers and Conveyancing Solicitors
What is the difference between a Licensed Conveyancer and a Conveyancing Solicitor?
So, you’re all ready to move house. But how do you choose who looks after the legal side of your move? You know it’s complicated, you know it needs to be handled by a professional…but do you go with a Solicitor or a Licensed Conveyancer?
When it comes to conveyancing the two are very similar. In fact, the main difference lies in the regulatory bodies – all solicitors practising in England and Wales must be registered with the Law Society and are regulated by the
Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Licensed Conveyancers, on the other hand, are also regulated, but by the
Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).
Although separate, both bodies have a similar set of guidelines and standards which their members are advised to stick to.
Solicitors will have been trained in a variety of legal fields, ranging from family law through to litigation or criminal law. Once they have finished training they can then choose to specialise in a particular area or continue covering a range of areas, like many high street lawyers. This can be an advantage when it comes to legal work related to conveyancing (i.e. wills or probate), although dealing with a variety of legal work may mean your solicitor is sometimes harder to get hold of.
Licensed Conveyancers, on the other hand, are specialists in property law and this is the sole focus of their work. Although they may not have the same breadth of legal training as a solicitor the Licensed Conveyancer will have undergone a series of rigorous examinations in order to obtain their qualification.
It all comes down to who you as a customer trust to do the best job for your move. With Solicitors and Licensed Conveyancers both having all the necessary legal expertise to look after your move it’s best to focus on what makes one particular firm’s service stand out.
Some modern, specialist conveyancing practices, whether Solicitors or Licensed Conveyancers, will be able to offer a number of features to help ensure a smooth move. Things like online case tracking, email and text updates can all help speed up the conveyancing process and make it more efficient.
Some firms, such as
1st Property Lawyers, have taken it one step further by combining a personal service with an online system which includes electronic upload of key documents and a move away from relying on the traditional postal system – saving clients not just time but money as well.