Chronicle Autumn 2009

£2.50 Edition 58Autumn 2009

www.clc-uk.org

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A consumer friendly

approach

Chris Kenny talks to the CLC

hronicleThe Journal of The Council for Licensed Conveyancers

Chris Kenny, CEO, LSB

reviewGary Smith

thinks it’s time to scrap HIP’s

Sarah Beeny’s property overview pdate

Victor Olowe - adapting to challenges

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CLC Chronicle

Welcome

“Better value for consumers”… Chris Kenny, CEO, LSB

We couldn’t agree more with Chris Kenny’s vision for regulation of legal services in the future. In these interesting and challenging times for the legal and property sectors, the consumer has to remain the focus in all that we do – and not just for the CLC as a regulator but for all the service providers in the legal and property sectors. The CLC is the Regulatory Body for the profession of Licensed Conveyancers. Our purpose is to set entry standards and regulate the profession of Licensed Conveyancers effectively in order to secure adequate consumer protection, promote effective competition in the legal services market and provide choice for consumers.Our ‘new look’ Chronicle is dedicated to providing relevant information and thought provoking reflection on all relevant aspects of the legal and property sectors. And, mindful of the crucial role played by various parties play in conveyancing transactions, we would like to extend our welcome to estate agents in England and Wales who will be reading the Chronicle for the first time – we hope you find the Chronicle both interesting and informative. This edition features an in depth interview with Chris Kenny, Chief Executive of the Legal Services Board. His openness and confidence in the future of regulation is refreshing and we are also pleased to note that he’s had excellent personal experience of utilising the services of a Licensed Conveyancer. In addition, Gary Smith, President of the NAEA, reflects on the property market as a whole and we welcome his acknowledgement on the importance of the role conveyancers play in the housing market. Finally, we are delighted to have a regular overview of the property market from Sarah Beeny (Property Ladder fame) - her first update can be found on page 12 . The next edition of the Chronicle will be available in January 2010 – in the meantime, if you have comments about the Chronicle please contact me at [email protected].

Sam MogganThe Editor

Published by the CLC (Council for Licensed Conveyancers), 16 Glebe Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1QG

Editor - Sam MogganEmail - [email protected] enquiries – [email protected]

Designed by

SubscriptionsIf you are not a CLC licence holder or student and would like to subscribe to the Chronicle, please contact: [email protected]

The Chronicle is published by the CLC (Council for Licensed Conveyancers). The CLC accepts no liability to any party for any error, omission or misstatement in any material published.

© CLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any part is not allowed without the written permission of the CLC.

www.17-7.com

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6 Update Victor Olowe - adapting to challenges.

4 XCHANGECan regulation really focus on the consumer? Nicola Laver interviews Chris Kenny, Chief Executive, LSB.

Fileshare We name our June 2009 top students and post the 2010 examination dates.

CLC Chronicle

In this issue

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Review Gary Smith, President of the NAEA,thinks it may be time to scrap HIPS.

Sarah Beeny TV personality Sarah gives us her personal view on developments in the

property market.

ChatterCatch up with our news service.

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The panoramic view of London on the warm, sunny terrace of the LSB’s London office was a fittingly symbolic picture of the vast legal landscape the Board has been charged with overseeing. Its inaugural chief executive, Chris Kenny, a self-proclaimed ‘serial regulator’, is an affable and forthright man who is thoroughly confident in his remit to end self-regulation of the legal profession in England and Wales.

CLC Chronicle CLC Chronicle

A consumer friendly approach

Article byNicola Laver

The Legal Services Board (LSB) will authorise the CLC, as one of the Approved Regulators (ARs),to bring a more consumer friendly approach to legal services; and conduct its daily regulation under the LSB’s oversight – representing a landmark symbolic shift of oversight of the AR itself to a single higher body.Kenny is not and never has been a lawyer, so what brought him to this top position with the LSB? His back-ground is in regulation with leading jobs including Director of Life and Pensions for the ABI and working on the independent review of the Financial Ombudsman Service. He was Oftel’s Director of Regulatory Policy and then Director of Compliance between 2000 and 2003; he has worked on access and competition issues and worked with industry and consumer bodies to establish the Telecoms Ombudsman. Coming to the LSB was, he says, a natural step into a world of setting up a new regulator.What he particularly liked about the job was ’putting in place a new regulator that was no longer just about ensuring individuals didn’t have a hand in the till but was about helping the CLC and all the other regulators think more broadly about

how regulation could really focus more on the consumer’.The wholly independent LSB itself is made up of, in Kenny’s words, an ‘interesting bunch’, comprising both laypeople and professionals including legal professionals as well as general counsel at both Reuters and the FSA, a non-executive director of SOCA, a former member of the electoral commission and the former chief constable at Nottinghamshire police force.So what does Mr Kenny know of the conveyancing profession itself? A fair bit, it would seem - including first hand experience as a consumer back in 1991, not many years after the CLC was established. He intentionally sought the services of a Licensed Conveyancer and says he had a great service and was ’desperately happy’ with his experience.And Chris Kenny has plenty of praise for the CLC’s current approach: ’Victor Olowe, Chief Executive, and the CLC are very involved with what we are doing and we are very impressed by their operations and what a professional outfit they are.’A thorny issue arising out of the LSB’s remit is financial penalties, and it has recently been announced that ARs

could be heavily fined for non-compli-ance - a top figure of £10m has been touted [at the time of publication the issue is out for consultation until 26th October].But although the figure has struck fear in some sections of the legal profession, Kenny is reassuring – it is a last-resort, draconian power and the LSB would have to be absolutely transparent and proportionate in levying any fine.’In practice,’ he explains, ’99.9% of the time we’d expect to work through discussion, challenge and persuasion.’ But he is certain the fines system will be effective. He says: ’Parliament clearly intended the fines system to be a deterrent - in a funny way the key measure will be whether or not we are using it.’The CLC will be required to monitor how Licensed Conveyancers handle consumer complaints, against the backdrop of the Office for Legal Complaints – a new independent ombudsman to deal with consumer complaints.Conveyancing firms must implement a formal process to deal with han-dling initial complaints promptly and fairly. The ombudsman won’t look at the case in the first instance until the firm itself has had the chance to

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resolve the issue. The advantage is, says Kenny: ’The sooner the consumer is satisfied the better. It’s about consumer re-dress. It’s not about behaving like a judge; it’s offering an alternative dispute resolution.’Reserved legal activitiesIn addition to regulating probate services, the CLC is considering regulating further reserved legal activities such as litigation and advocacy – an issue that the LSB is ’quite comfortable with’, says Kenny: “So long as people show they’ve got the technical ability and the organisational capability to do more, then they should be allowed to do it.’But this brings to question the issue of competition between individual ARs. As Kenny explains: ’we’ve got a framework where we guarantee minimum standards of all regulators and so long as that framework is there, there’s no reason why either existing regulators shouldn’t try to expand their scope or new people shouldn’t come into the market.’ Problems in the marketplaceMajor lenders have recently axed sole practitioners from their panels with the potential for consumer choice being further restricted. In addition, the numerous parties involved in the conveyancing process contribute to a sluggish conveyancing process. But the LSB’s ability to address the prevailing inefficiencies in sub markets in legal services such as the property is limited to its remit under the Legal Services Act. Kenny is hugely sympathetic to these problems but is not going to inadvertently try and set up as a property regulator. He explains: ’For us to blunder in without a very clear statutory remit would actually make existing confusion worse rather than help.’ So does the LSB have a view on

recent calls for regulation of other legal and property services (such as estate agents/will writers)? ’You’ve always got to ask, when people say ‘regulation is the answer’, what’s the problem to which it is the answer? We’re just going to do what’s proportionate and sensible to meet the needs as we see them out in the market.’Alternative Business Structures A fear also exists amongst conveyancing practitioners of the perceived threat of impending Alternative Business Structures (ABS). The LSA will allow ABS which will permit different kinds of lawyers and non-lawyers to work together, allowing for external investment.Kenny does not accept the premise that conveyancers are under threat from ABS per se, but that they should be seen as another opportunity. Indeed, he goes so far as to say that those already surviving the ravages of the recent market conditions are the people with the flexibility and the creativity to survive most kinds of threat. He stresses that clients place a lot of value on face-to-face advice; on recommendations, and long term relationships - and ABS won’t remove any of that.Similarly, he sees opportunities in what others see as the threat of so-called ‘Tesco law’ (a term Kenny clearly detests). This, he says, would result in a more innovative and flexible market with better value for consumers.He says: ’I don’t think there’s any reason why large retailers, people currently outside the legal market, should not enter. [Their] brand reputation is one of the biggest consumer protections there is. If Tesco were to come into the market and prove to be pretty bad

at it, Tesco plc as well as Tesco law could be affected.’DiversityKenny sees diversity as one of the most important of the LSB’s regulatory objectives and is at the heart of having a strong profession. He says: ’A profession that looks like the population it’s serving will inspire confidence and improve access to justice by doing that.’’The CLC has clearly put a great deal of effort into promoting diversity in their part of the profession – both through initiatives of their own making but also through building effectively on some favourable conditions in that part of the sector. This is evidenced by the fact that some 70% of licensed conveyancers are women and has been developed through business models that have facilitated flexible working. In addition to this, there are alternatives routes to entry to becoming a licensed conveyancer than just the traditional solicitor route, yet standards expected by the CLC have not been diminished at all once practitioners reach that level. I am also aware of some very effective mentoring programmes in that part of the sector.’As for the future, Kenny is hesitant to envisage what the legal landscape will look like in the future. He says: ’Our job isn’t to predict it’s to enable.’So the future challenge of the CLC will be to enable LCs to meet the changes that are afoot.

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There is no doubt that the last twelve months have proven to be tough times for our sector with the impact of the financial climate on the housing market and the increasing obligations arising from the implementation of the Legal Services Act 2007 within resource constraints to name but a few contenders. And the CLC have not been immune to these pressures. We’ve had to implement some significant changes to the way in which we work to help us adapt to these times. Our rebranding project has paved the way to increasing awareness of both the CLC and the profession and the recruitment of a new, streamlined Council is now underway through which Members of the new Council will provide the strategic and leadership direction necessary to take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead in the future.Likewise, Licensed Conveyancers will need to continue to adapt to meet the future challenges. As the interview with Chris Kenny (pages 4 and 5) highlights, sole practitioners in particular are facing unique challenges at the hands of some Lenders at the moment and the CLC is liaising with these Lenders to try and understand and address their concerns where possible. So adapting to change is vital for all of us – and in some cases has provided excellent results – I note the recent survey carried out by Which? highlighted Friday’s Property Lawyers one of our regulated practices to be top of the table for

Victor Olowe, Chief Executive of the CLC, reflects on the challenges over the last twelve months and updates us on some of the important issues for the year ahead.

pdateby Victor Olowe

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HIP providers, which is positive feedback for our profession. The recent ability for the CLC to regulate Probate services also provides another avenue of opportu-nity for Licensed Conveyancers. I referred earlier to our interview with Chris Kenny and it was heartening to hear his views on the CLC. Over the summer the Legal Services Board issued a number of consultations so that the necessary rules are in place when it assumes its full powers as an oversight regulator on 1 January 2010. Whilst all the consultations are important, the outcome of two will have a significant direct impact on the profession. The first is the levy consultation. The implementation costs and the running costs of both the LSB (totaling £4.7m for the first period) and the Office for Legal Complaints (£15M) are to be met by the legal profession. The LSB’s provisional position is that the costs of the LSB are to be met by a levy on each lawyer through the relevant regulator. So, the Law Society which regulates over 100,000 solicitors has to pay just under 80% of the costs of the LSB and the CLC regulating just over 1,000 licensed conveyancers has to pay 0.76% of the costs. The costs of the OLC (which is due to take over the service complaints handling function of the legal regulators in late 2010) will be met by the Law Society, the Bar Council and the CLC in proportion to the number of complaints their members or licensees have generated (as an average of the last three years). On this basis the Law Society will be required to pay over 95% of the OLC’s costs, the Bar Council just over 3% and the CLC 1.5%. No regulator whose members have generated less than 0.1% of the total

complaints received will be required to contribute to the costs of the OLC. A case fee will be paid by lawyers whose cases are determined by the OLC. There has yet to be consultation about the amount of the case fee and at what stage it is triggered. Both the Ministry of Justice and the LSB have accepted that the implementation costs should be paid over a three year period, although the running costs will need to be paid as and when they are incurred. In March 2010 the CLC is required to pay 34% of the costs allocated to it which are provisionally estimated at just under £100,000. The CLC has reserved funds and hopes to be able to pay this sum without having to ask the profession to pay by way of a special levy. The LSB has accepted that the method of determining how the costs of the LSB and the OLC are split between the different sectors of the legal profession is not perfect. The CLC has urged the LSB to refine the way in which liability for costs are determined in future years.The second is Alternative Business Structures (ABS). The LSB has announced that it expects Alternative Business Structures to be licensed in mid to late 2011. It has already issued one consultation paper and expects to issue a further consultation paper shortly. Licensed Conveyancers have been able to set up ABS since 2000 so some practices are in a good position to take full advantage of the changes when they are introduced. The CLC is committed to becoming a licensing authority because once the ABS regime is fully in force it will no longer be able to regulate any practice which has a Manager* or owner who is not a lawyer. The LSB is currently undertaking a series of scoping exercises to determine the framework for the regulation of ABS

to determine whether the structure should reflect the regulatory arrangements in place for lawyers or whether it should be radically different.So the interesting times continue - but with one or two glimmers of hope appearing on the horizon. Recent statistics from the NAEA shows the return of first time buyers for the first half of this year and the rest of the market are following – so here’s to evidence of demand returning - albeit slowly. * as defined in the Legal Services Act 2007

FILESHARE

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Are You In Conveyancing Employment?All CLC Students in qualifying employment are required to record details of practical training and send a copy to CLC every year.

A master copy of a practical training certifi cate can be found at www.clc-uk.org or in your Guidelines for CLC Students booklet. This should be completed in conjunction with the guidelines for practical training each year and signed by the person who has supervised the training. It must also be countersigned by a qualifi ed person, ie. Licensed Conveyancer or Solicitor, who has held a Practising Certifi cate or Licence for a period of three years or more.

Aliya Abbas Kate AtkinsonAshley AvisJaspreet BainsMichelle BaranovichDebbie BarnettKaren BissellEmma Bluffi eldHannah BraceApril BradburyGuy BrooksDeborah CaponJerri Catherine Aat ChengBrian CraigSharon CrosbyHoney DaveVictoria DraperSusan FarrSimon FennemoreLeesa GlenwrightHelen GoodchildDaniel GowerMichelle GrantDamian HarrisonDaniel HarrisonJoanne HewittJohn HillLaura HobdayElaine HollandZoe HoylandNicolette Iliffe

Lindsay LaverickJanet LuckhurstLynne McCaffreyBhinderpal MatharuMandeep MattuNicola MiddletonMarie MooreSuzanne MossAmi-Jane MurphyAlina NevilleSusan NorrisDenise O’NeillJoan O’TooleTimothy OakleySusan OutramSusan PartridgeAilie PeacockMichelle PerkinsHeather PriceMichelle RandallStacey RakeAndrea ReillyAnn-Marie ReillyVanessa RichardsonAndrew RinghamVicky RobinsonShelley-Rae RoundingCordelia Scott Alison ShedwickJulie ShepherdSally StaintonDawn Stewart

Congratulations to all the students who successfully completed their fi nal examinations

The top students for June 2009 examinations -

Foundation Law of Contract

KATIE BARKER

Foundation Land Law

SAMANTHA BELLIA

MICHELLE TYTHERLEIGH

Final Accounts

ALINA NEVILLE

Final Conveyancing Law & Practice

BRIAN CRAIG

Final Landlord & Tenant

CAROLINE HARTWELL SHARON KINGSBURY

ANNA WALLIS

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Revision daysThe next Revision Days will be in November 2009 on Saturdays 7, 14 and 21. Application forms for these are available at www.clc-uk.orgor email [email protected]

January 2010 Examination DatesFinal Accounts Monday 18 January 2010Final Probate Monday 18 January 2010Foundation Land Law Tuesday 19 January 2010Final Conveyancing Law & Practice Tuesday 19 January 2010Foundation Law of Contract Wednesday 20 January 2010Final Landlord & Tenant Wednesday 20 January 2010

June 2010 Examination DatesFinal Accounts Monday 14 June 2010Final Probate Monday 14 June 2010Foundation Land Law Tuesday 15 June 2010Final Conveyancing Law & Practice Tuesday 15 June 2010Foundation Law of Contract

FILESHAREFILESHAREFailure to complete practical training certifi cates on a regular basis could result in a shortfall of practical experience when applying for a fi rst licence.

Not In Conveyancing Employment?If you are not in conveyancing employment at the moment, it is still possible to study the course and take examinations. You can complete the requirements for practical training at a later date.

Wednesday 16 June 2010Final Landlord & Tenant Wednesday 16 June 2010

Application forms for the June 2010 sessions will be available to all registered students in early February 2010, at www.clc-uk.org .The deadline for entry is 1 April 2010.

ProbateWe are pleased to be able to regulate Probate services provided by Licensed Conveyancers. Subject to evidence of practical training, you may not be required to sit additional examinations and be eligible to apply for a probate licence by completing the Certifi cate course under the CLC’s transitional arrangement. Please note that this

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD)

Don’t forget once you qualify as a Licensed Conveyancer, you will be required to complete CPD

LICENCED CONVEYANCER CPD TRAINING RECORD REQUIREMENTS

Licence Holders (Employed) CPD hours

6Licence Holders (Manager or SP) CPD hours

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PROBATE PRACTITIONER CPD TRAINING RECORD REQUIREMENTS

(THESE ARE IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE HOURS)

Licence Holders (Employed) CPD hours

2Licence Holders (Manager or SP) CPD hours

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arrangement will only be available until the end of June 2010.

Further information on the probate qualifi cation can be found by logging in to the download centre at www.clc-uk.org.

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The housing market is now showing signs of a sustained recovery, with house prices rising month on month and confidence increasing amongst homebuyers and estate agents. Statistics from the latest NAEA housing market report show that the market remained in a strong position throughout July and August, despite the summer being traditionally a slow time for property transactions.The report has also revealed that for the first time since April 2009, the average number of properties available to buy per agent rose, from 59 in July to 64 in August. This suggests that as the market picks up, the stock of properties should increase as a result of buyers working their way through the system. The number of sales to first-time buyers also went up in August, making up 36% of total sales during the month. It has been an extremely testing year for everyone working in the property sector but it finally appears that the market is picking up.There are though several issues still affecting the housing market and hampering the buying process. Home Information Packs (HIPs) are holding the market back and stunting recovery - one-in-ten of our members believe that the number of people selling would double if HIPs were scrapped. Research has also shown a discrepancy in the price of HIPs, which is symptomatic of the dysfunctional nature of the packs. Until a credible alternative is put forward by the Government, the NAEA believes that HIPs should be


suspended as there can be no doubt that they are a barrier to selling.A lack of mortgage lending is preventing some would-be homeowners from climbing the property ladder. We hope that banks will do all they can to ensure that responsible people are given access to adequate mortgage finance which they can afford. The NAEA has commissioned its own research into the difficulties of obtaining a mortgage: we found that one in four potential house buyers feels that there is no mortgage anywhere in the market for which they qualify. Although banks are wary of making mortgage finance available because of the financial turmoil of the last year, there is no reason why they should be denying those responsible households from accessing the funds they require.The NAEA is also seeking to increase the professionalism of the estate agency industry and will be introducing a licensing scheme for all its members later in the year. This is on the back of a similar scheme for letting agents that was launched by the Association of Residential Letting Agents in May. I am strongly supportive of improved standards in the property market, which is why conveyancers have a crucial role to play in the housing market’s recovery, due to the specialism of their work.Conveyancing plays a huge part in determining whether a sale is successful or not and estate agents are extremely dependent on a speedy and efficient service. In my

experience the best conveyancers have been those who engage the agent; I can’t tell you how refreshing it is for an agent to be called by a conveyancer and asked for assistance in providing information. The speed of a transaction is critical in allowing transactions to be completed smoothly. HIPs were introduced by the Government to speed up this process; however the quality of some HIPs leaves many conveyancers as much work to do as they had before. I am pleased therefore that the Conservative Party has pledged to scrap HIPs and retain only EPCs.This is now a crucial time for the housing market, when the Government, the banks and the industry have to work together to resolve the teething problems which continue to affect the selling process. A healthy housing market is in everyone’s interests as it drives the strength of the overall economy. Responsible mortgage lending and the suspension of HIPs will allow the market to usher in the recovery of the UK economy as a whole.

In his first quarterly column, the President of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), Gary Smith, discusses the current situation in the housing market and his thoughts on conveyancing...

review Time to scrap HIPS?

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Introducing


The News Service of The Council for Licensed Conveyancers

Welcome to ChatterThis section of the Chronicle offers you the opportunity to have your say, ask questions and fi nd out more about how the CLC operates. We are keen to feature individual reader stories in this section – these might include social events, dates for the diary or achievements. If you have a story, question or comment, please email [email protected].

News from the CLCChanging times…It’s not just the Chronicle which has been under review this year. As part of our commitment to increase awareness of both the CLC and the profession as a whole we have under-gone a review of all our processes and procedures to make sure we are providing the best service we can.

We’re pleased with the positive reaction to the changes we have made so far – particularly in relation to the new CLC mailshots enabling us to provide updates and information to the profession and students in a much faster timescale.

And whilst we are very proud of our new visual identity, this project was never about ‘a quick coat of paint’. It provided us with the opportunity to review our ways of working and implement some major changes to how we work now and in the future. So we’re not stopping here. We

are planning a new internal support system and website for launch early 2010 to ensure we continue to offer the most effective support and service to our customers. Essentially providing regulation through better practice.

The new identity has already made its way into many of our publications and promotional material. Here’s a look at some of the recent changes:-

LicensedConveyancers

Council for

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Logo packs containing the artwork to use our logo on your stationery are still available for all recognised bodies. Please contact [email protected]

Now you’ve seen a snapshot of the new look CLC licences and recognized body certifi cates we do hope you will be displaying them in your offi ces with pride.

In addition, following popular demand, we have designed some window/car stickers. More details on how to get hold of these soon!

Commencement Date: 11th May 2009

Licence Number: 18633

Chairman:

Who is hereby granted this Licence to offer conveyancing services directly to the public pursuant

to section 15(7)(a) and subject to full compliancewith section 21 Administration of Justice Act 1985

and is appointed a Commissioner for Oathsduring the term of this licence

This Licence is Issued in respect of the year ending 31st October 2009


Licence Number: 18633


to offer conveyancing services directly to the public pursuant


Who is hereby granted this Licence to offer conveyancing services directly to the public pursuant

to section 15(7)(a) and subject to full compliance


with section 21 Administration of Justice Act 1985and is appointed a Commissioner for Oaths

during the term of this licenceand is appointed a Commissioner for Oaths

during the term of this licence


Licence cert.indd 1 29/6/09 12:08:38

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A Day in the Life....

A Day in the Life of a Licensed Conveyancer is not all Land Registry, long Leases and sitting at your desk eating crisps, as I discovered one sunny morning in June this year. Having taken part in an interview about my work as a Licensed Conveyancer I was going to have my photo taken for posting on the CLC’s smart new website. Admitting to being “a bit horsey” it was suggested that rather than use the traditional offi ce background, the photos should be taken at my stable yard. Arriving at the appointed time and expecting one man and his digital camera, I was excited to meet not only the Producer, Alan Styler, but also his business partner, a video cameraman, a sound-man, and a stills-photographer. All doing things with light meters and sound tests, this was obviously a very professional operation and I began to wonder whether, instead of the daily uniform of jeans and rather scruffy boots which make up a major part of the horsey-girl’s wardrobe, I might have been more traditionally attired in the


This year we featured real ‘case studies’ as part of our Annual Report and we were delighted with the enthusiasm and generosity of the six Licensed Conveyancers/students who participated. We would like to offi cially thank them for giving up their time to be interviewed and photographed this year.

And you haven’t seen the last of them yet! Jack, Kirsty, Sarah, Heather, Amanda and Toby will all be appearing in other CLC material over the next few months.

Kirstie Wilkins, Director, Ocean Property Lawyers.

Jack Brett, Licensed Conveyancer,

Salford City Council.

Sarah Cook, CLC student.

Your profession needs you

Harrods’ look of cream breeches, tweed jacket and yellow cravat. Alan and his wonderful team quickly reassured me that I looked Absolutely Fabulous and I was soon transported to the dizzying heights of celluloid superstar. Posing, smiling (chin up darling) leading horses up and down and yes, even managing to talk at the same time (eat your heart out Paris Hilton) we soon had it in the can and the session was declared a wrap. I even adopted the lingo - briefl y. And then....as quickly as it had started it was over and the crew were gone and I was alone, quietly sweeping

Amanda Cranston, Conveyancing Locum. Toby Richmond, Director, Key Property Lawyers.

Heather Philip, Heather Philip Licensed Conveyancing.

away the angel dust of my short movie career. So back to clients, contracts and conveyancers. Andy Warhol was right about that 15 minutes of fame - though if there’s someone out there wanting a repeat performance, I can probably spare 15 minutes more.

If you would like to be considered for future CLC case studies please email [email protected].

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London Anti-Money Laundering ConferenceLicensed Conveyancers in and around the London area are invited to a free one day conference on Tuesday 24 November 2009 at the Holiday Inn – Elstree, to learn how to safeguard themselves against serious organised crime and money laundering.

The event is being organised by the Asset Working Recovery Group ‘Payback’ Team, and hosted by SOCA’s UK Financial Intelligence Unit (UKFIU). David Thomas, Head of the UK Financial Intelligence Unit, said: “The conference will make businesses more aware of their role in identifying any suspicious activity taking place during their day-to-day work, thereby protecting their business and reducing harm caused to communities by serious organised crime.”

This event is specifically designed for employees of regulated businesses who are responsible for combating money laundering and aims to raise their awareness of the Suspicious Activity Reporting regime (SAR regime) and the requirements of the Money Laundering Regulations in order to better protect their businesses against the threat from money laundering.

The event will commence at 9.30am and finish at 4.30pm, anyone interested in attending should contact:

[email protected] for an application form Quoting Media Code: PBR/CLC.

HM Treasury announces call for evidence, to inform Review of Money Laundering Regulations 2007 HM Treasury has today published a call for evidence on the Money Laun-dering Regulations 2007 and of the UK’s anti-money laundering policies and procedures under them. The Call is designed to help inform a review of the Regulations, and look at how effective and proportionate the UK’s anti-money laundering rules are. The Call for Evidence is in two parts. Part A of the call for evidence is aimed at money-laundering experts and practitioners, such as businesses supervised under the Regulations and money laundering supervisors. Part

B is focused on private individuals and business customers. The text of each of the parts of the Call for Evidence is available on the HM Treasury website at: www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/fin_crime_review. htmThe Call for Evidence will run until 11th December 2009. The HM Treasury website will carry further news of the Review during the autumn, including stakeholder events to be held in Belfast, Birmingham, Edinburgh and London. The Treasury is working with the Better Regulation Executive on the Review and expects to report back on the evidence received and provide a response to it in 2010.

hronicleThe Journal of The Council for Licensed Conveyancers

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Display advertisement spaces are avilable in full page or half page only.

Recruitment advertising space will be available in our new recruitment section - career.

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areer

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Despite the doom and gloom over the property market in this country I think it’s important to keep it in perspective. I know there are some people who have been horribly caught up in the last few years’ boom and bust but in comparison to the rest of the economy, actually the property market in the UK seems in pretty good shape. There is still the age old argument that there is a shortage of housing and that is the only thin veneer holding the market where it is. But personally, I have never really understood how there can be a housing shortage when there are houses advertised for sale all over the place. Surely if there really was a shortage of houses they would either never come onto the market, or

they would at least be snapped up in double quick time - and that simply doesn’t happen. What there clearly is, though, is a shortage of houses that the average person can afford to buy. But if the plan to redress this is to flood the market hoping that in itself will bring the prices down to an affordable level, then there seems to me to be a lot of flaws in that plan.Firstly, we live on an island and therefore there is limited space, so whilst planning laws could be relaxed, eventually we’d hit the sea. Secondly, we need to consider whether it is best for the community to provide all 18-year-olds with their own home to live in - to come back to every night on their own and be responsible for on their own - whilst their grandparents are sitting at home on their own, hoping that sometime in the next month or two someone might be able to afford the train fair and the time off work to come and visit. Is this independent living what we really should be striving for? Perhaps my own personal utopia of living in a Waltons-style dream is

a little unrealistic - but there surely is a point here? A recession, though, is a time for new starts and rethinking how things are done and certainly it seems to me that there is lots about the property market that could be shaken up and modernised. With the majority of buyers now heading straight to the internet to search for a new home, we recently launched www.tepilo.com - a totally free service to give homeowners the option of saving several thousands of pounds and staying in control of a sale themselves. And the site itself also explains the buying and selling process as it goes through. With sales now flying through the site on a really regular basis, I am more convinced than ever that life goes on and people still want to, and will, move in the UK. And that will continue to happen despite the depressing headlines

Sarah Beeny writes on the property sector – as she sees it

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Perhaps you’re a Sole Practitioner in the process of retiring, or maybe a Partnership selling up or downsizing. Either way, if you’re considering moving some or all of your Conveyancing caseload and contacts to pastures new, then we’d love to hear from you.

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Chronicle Autumn 2009

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Transcript of Chronicle Autumn 2009