Licensed conveyancer jobs

Licensed conveyancers are legal professionals who specialize in real estate transactions and act as intermediaries for customers purchasing or selling property in England and Wales.

As a certified and professional property lawyer, your area of concentration will be property law, and you will act as a legal representative for clients who are purchasing or selling homes, flats, commercial properties, or land in England and Wales. You will be responsible for handling all of the legal issues, administrative tasks, financial concerns, and questions that arise throughout a real estate transaction.

This function requires processing and consenting to contracts for mortgages and leases, organizing transfers, and managing other documentation that sellers are required to sign when acquiring property. In addition to this, you will advise customers on the technical content of the papers as well as the financial consequences of the material. You are free to represent either the buyer or the seller in a transaction, and in some cases, you may even do so for both parties simultaneously.

Responsibilities

To become a licensed conveyancer, you will be required to do the following:

investigation of data and interaction with customers and other parties, in person, through telephone, in written or electronic form, respectively

Conveyancing chores are increasingly being conducted online, thus it is recommended that you utilize a computerized case management system.

heed the direction of one's customers.

Always make it a priority to look out for the best interests of your customers while also taking preventative measures against the possibility of theft and laundering money.

Please send along the conditions of engagement as well as estimates of the fees and expenditures.

get or verify the paperwork or title deeds from the Land Registry (if the land is unregistered)

prepare or verify sales contracts, and negotiate conditions of the transaction with the conveyancer who is representing the opposite party to the transaction.

gathering, sending, and checking the supplementary legal and financial papers

take care of everything related to the transaction's finances.

Contracts will be traded, and the deal will then be finalized.

If the property is held on a lease, you will need to negotiate the apportionment of rent and service costs as well as gain the landlord's permission to sell or amend the mortgage on the property.

The following are examples of specific duties for buy transactions:

the process of carrying out and checking pre-contract searches, which includes determining whether or not the property is affected by local authority proposals, leases, easements or covenants, mortgages, land tax, susceptibility to flooding or subsidence, or liability for unsound building structures and repairs.

mortgage instructions from lenders must be received, checked, and particular duties must be completed.

prepare transfer and mortgage deeds

receive mortgage money

stamp taxes must be paid, and one must also deal with registering both the customer and the lender with the Land Registry.

Salary

The beginning salary for trainees in the conveyancing industry or newly trained conveyancers may vary anywhere from £16,000 to £24,000 on average.

Your income might vary anywhere from £25,000 to £50,000 after you have completed your education and have around three years of experience under your belt.

If you have a senior management position, you may anticipate earning between £35,000 and £55,000 per year, and if you own a conveyancing business or are a partner in one, you have the potential to make £60,000 per year or more.

There is a significant range of difference in salaries depending on factors such as status, location, and the nature of the job.

Commission payments have the potential to bring about an increase in the overall earnings of hired conveyancers. It's possible that large law firms may provide substantial perks to its employees, such as health insurance, pension contribution plans, and gym memberships.

The monetary amounts listed are just meant to serve as a reference point.

Time spent working

The standard workweek is 37 hours, although some employers require their employees to put in much more time. Some businesses are open late into the night and on weekends as well.

Work that is performed on a part-time basis and job sharing are also options.

What may be anticipated

The work is done in an office setting, and it requires communication with coworkers, customers, and other professionals.

It's becoming more popular for people to work independently, either full or part time, and many seasoned conveyancers have started their own firms.

Jobs are available in the majority of cities and towns across England and Wales; however, there are a greater number of licensed conveyancers in some regions of the nation than in others, notably in London and the South East.

Additionally, a solicitor, a certified legal executive, or a licensed conveyancing paralegal may complete the conveyancing process (England and Wales). In Scotland, conveyancing is often handled by legal professionals known as solicitors. For further details, please visit the websites for Solicitor, Scotland and The Law Society of Scotland.

During the course of the workday, you may on occasion be required to travel in order to meet with customers or other real estate experts. It is unusual to be needed to be away from home overnight, and it is quite improbable that employment or travel will take place outside of the country.

Qualifications

Even though this field of employment is available to all graduates, having a bachelor's degree, a higher national diploma, or a foundation degree in one of the following topics may boost your chances:

Keeping the books and managing money

the world of commerce and management

administration of land, estates, or properties

legal education or practice

planning

surveying.

In England and Wales, in order to become a licensed conveyancer, you are required to complete the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) qualification, which is often taken in conjunction with working in the field. This necessitates:

submitting an application to become a student at the CLC

completing 1200 hours of practical training while working under the direction of a competent employer such as a fully-trained conveyancer or a solicitor

achieving a passing score on each of the CLC Level 4 and Level 6 tests, both of which may be studied on a part-time basis or via remote learning. An apprenticeship program may be used to fulfill the requirements for the Level 4 Diploma.

On the CLC website, you may find comprehensive information on the modules that are involved, as well as a list of recognized universities and suppliers of remote learning courses.

If you get a Level 4 Diploma but not a Level 6 Diploma, the most you can do is work as a conveyancing technician, assisting a fully trained property lawyer in their job. This is the case even if you pass the Level 4 Diploma exam.

It is possible for non-graduates to participate in the CLC training and exams. The minimum requirement for participation is four GCSE passes (grades A to C), one of which must be in English. Personal qualities and skills are frequently regarded as being more important than the subjects that a person has studied. However, a significant number of licensed conveyancers have qualifications as chartered legal executives or lawyers.

It is possible that you will not be allowed to enter the competition if you have ever been in a poor financial situation or if you have ever been convicted of a crime. Get in touch with the CLC for more information.

It takes the majority of students three to four years to finish the practical training and examinations, while it is feasible to do everything in only two years.

After you have completed these steps, you will be able to receive your first license, which will enable you to provide services by working for a specific company.

You may earn a manager license if you have sufficient prior experience and training, and this will enable you to work alone or form partnerships with other people.

Apprenticeships in conveyancing, such as the ones offered by the Institute for Apprenticeships, typically last between one and a half and three years for individuals who already have some prior legal experience or a law degree, but can take up to five years for individuals who do not have either of these prerequisites.

Skills

You will need to demonstrate that:

the capacity to properly counsel clients and engage in negotiations

the understanding of and capacity to explain various legal technicalities

abilities in the art of report writing

an interest in the regulation of property

the capacity to do one's duties in a methodical and correct manner in accordance with a professional code of conduct

problem-solving skills

a curiosity for the results of studies

numerical ability

sensitivity and a commitment to maintaining client confidentiality

the capacity to continue working despite adverse conditions

basic IT capabilities.

Practice in the workplace

Previous job experience earned at a solicitor's office, property developers, building society, or bank - notably in the post of a legal secretary or chartered legal executive - might be useful, however it is not required.

However, in order to be eligible to apply for your first qualifying license to work as a CLC lawyer, you will first need to accumulate a total of 1,200 hours of work experience in the field.

Find out more information on the many types of work experience and internships that are currently offered.

Employers

Conveyancers who are registered by the CLC may provide customers with the confidence that they are adhering to high professional standards. As a result, many employers prefer their conveyancers to be regulated by the CLC.

The great majority of people who have obtained their first license work in legal practices, however it is also possible to get employment in a wide range of other organizations, including the following:

airports

banks

constructing communities

civil service departments

associations of housing units

departments of local government that deal with business services, planning, or legal matters

organizations that create real estate

railways.

Some experienced conveyancers who have obtained the manager license establish their own private conveyancing firms, potentially with one or two partners and maybe employing a small team of staff members. These firms may also provide services to clients who are looking to buy or sell property. Others operate their own businesses, either as freelancers or consultants, and earn their living independently.