The issue of recruitment and retention in the conveyancing industry

Searchflow has created a blog that looks at the issue of recruitment and retention in the conveyancing industry.

One of the current national challenges for Law Firms is recruitment and retention of staff – how do you attract the best talent and then make sure they want to stay at your firm?

Over the last few years, conveyancers have been under a lot of pressure to speed up transactions whilst dealing with mountains of new cases. This has created a heavy workload for conveyancers, with many who feel undervalued, and this has put a spotlight on the amount of work that lands on their desks, leading to the realisation that conveyancing is a tough industry to work in.

Stuart Forsdike, Senior Partner and Licenced Conveyancer at PCS Legal, says:

“We do need to look at recruitment in the industry and this can only be done as a collective, some law firms are offering incentives.

“Retention of staff has been difficult given the amount of work there is to complete.

“It’s about education and having a drive to attract people into the profession.”

Rob Gurney, Managing Director of Ochresoft, says:

“Conveyancing does not always get the greatest of press, mainly because it is often misunderstood, and the breadth and complexity of modern regulation means it’s also probably under-appreciated.

“The responsibilities added to the role of conveyancer in the past 20 years or so have been considerable, but rarely acknowledged.

“I think we need to do two things to attract more newcomers to the profession.

“First, we should better educate consumers and other stakeholders about the range of complexities in the role today.

“Second, we should attempt to eradicate as many inefficient tasks and use as much automation as possible, leaving the lawyers to do more of what they do best (and love most) – the legal work!”

Liz Jarvis, Managing Director of Landmark Search, says:

“Law Firms are currently finding that it is an employees’ market with individuals having a large choice of where they work.

“Attracting talent is a huge, important process and firms have to work hard to keep hold of them too.

“It’s important to invest in people professionally and personally and understand that the salary offered is not the only driving factor.

“Encouraging employees to grow as individuals is highly valuable and at Landmark, we offer our own employees a free training platform where they can access courses related to their position, but it also gives them the opportunity to discover other passions too.

“Landmark also value employees experience and after a period of time they can become expert in their chosen fields, drawing on all the experience they bring to their role and the company.

“There is also the highly attractive aspect of a lifestyle allowance with extra time off work and sabbaticals after a period of time. If employees are offered a good balance, they will be best placed to spend longer with your firm.”

Watch here as Stuart Forsdike, Senior Partner and Licensed Conveyancer at PCS Legal, explains why he chose conveyancing, what keeps him in the profession and his views on attracting newcomers.