Property Lawyers Alliance: A new alliance is born

The Property Lawyers Alliance (PLA) is a new, values-based, non-profit, representative group of conveyancers and property lawyers in England & Wales. Previously the group was known as the Property Lawyers Action Group (PLAG).

PLAG was formed last year to counter what it perceived as multiple threats to all property lawyers. Last July a special general meeting of the Law Society, requisitioned by PLAG’s solicitor members, called for a vote of no confidence in the Law Society (SGM).

Although the vote was unsuccessful, PLAG’s efforts resulted in the Law Society organising a consultation on its controversial fifth edition of the Property Information Form (TA6).

The TA6 is, in turn, based on what PLA argues is the misguided and potentially unlawful inflation of the concept of ‘material information’.

Evolution

The PLA is an evolution of PLAG to a wider, more inclusive group of property lawyers, that will support, inform, and protect the integrity of all property lawyers operating as part of the wider legal profession. PLA receives no commercial sponsorship.

Since the SGM, PLA has received offers of help from across a whole spectrum of law firms based in the UK.

Defending a principled legal landscape

Property is affected by many types of legal transactions. ‘Peaceful possession’ of property is a legally enforceable human right. Property can also be taxed, sometimes the same property is taxed several times. Land ownership has also become highly politicised across the traditional left-right continuum of UK politics. Analysis of Land Registry data shows that the total value of all property sales in 2023 was £154.7 billion.

The conduct of property transactions to a significant extent is affected by legislation. If Parliament decides that climate change is important, or protection of the environment is important, or the fight against money laundering is critical, then Parliament passes appropriate legislation. The problem is that ironically Parliament has inadvertently created obstacles to improving homebuying.

Leading position

So, for all the above reasons, PLA feels strongly that lawyers at the heart of conveyancing, and the interpretation of land law principles underpinning it, is something respected for centuries. So radical changes to that position should not occur merely because powerful vested interests desire to dumb down conveyancing to fit the requirements of their products or services.

Whether a client decides to sell or buy a property must be an informed decision based on the advice of an independent property lawyer, exercising his or her professional judgment unfettered by the commercial interests of third parties. So, the fundamental aim of PLA is to defend the role of independent property lawyers as part of the legal landscape identified above.

All the conventions of daily law practice find their highest expression in integrity. Something the PLA feels must remain an integral part of conveyancing.

Kindly shared by The Property Lawyers Alliance (PLA)