There’s old-fashioned good service – and there’s being out-of-date

Posted by Justin on Oct 30, 2011 in Abaddons Musings | 0 comments Conveyancers are constantly encouraged these days to get with modern technology and social media: to hear some “experts” talk, a firm that does not have an online updating service so that its clients can check on progress, or that does not have a high profile on Twitter, is doomed to failure. Not true, I think: the recent Peppermint survey indicates that so-called old-fashioned...
read more

Communication is key

Posted by Justin on Oct 27, 2011 in Nelsons' Column | 0 comments I do feel for this guy – it’s stressful enough moving house without your own lawyer going all uncontactable. I hope that we – as many other firms, to be fair – do better: we copy clients (and agents) in on relevant correspondence with the other conveyancers; we routinely communicate by email – or by text, if the client prefers that; we actively encourage clients to...
read more

WillAid – “A good solicitor will write your Will”

Posted by Justin on Oct 26, 2011 in Nelsons' Column | 0 comments What is WillAid? November is WillAid month, during which participating solicitors – including Nelsons, naturally, will write basic Wills for no fee – instead, clients are asked to make a donation to WillAid. There are 9 leading charities involved in WillAid: ActionAid, Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, SCIAF, Sightsavers and Trocaire, and the...
read more

How can plans comply with Land Registry requirements?

Posted by Justin on Oct 25, 2011 in Nelsons' Column | 0 comments Despite the “general boundaries rule” (which makes Land Registry title plans all but useless for resolving boundary disputes), the Land Registry has, relatively recently, tightened up its requirements for plans identifying property being sold. Gone – thankfully – are the days what the seller’s solicitor would mark up a small scale extract from the Ordnance Map in...
read more

Boundaries, title plans

Posted by Justin on Oct 23, 2011 in Nelsons' Column | 2 comments “Boundaries are nothing to do with conveyancing” Attending a training course the other day, I was somewhat startled to hear the presenter say this – very firmly. I was already aware that the Land Registry’s “general boundaries rule”, coupled with the very small scale of Land Registry title plans, make the title plan all but useless for defining the location of...
read more

Anti-money laundering

Posted by Justin on Oct 6, 2011 in Nelsons' Column | 0 comments It is a pain for solicitors and clients alike, but anti-money laundering legislations requires solicitors to verify the identities of their clients and providers of funds, normally at the outset of a transaction – and certainly before any funds are received. We make this clear to clients, and make it as easy as possible for them to deal with the requirements: they can call in to our office...
read more