SPECIAL FEATURE: Digitalisation and the future of conveyancing – X-Press Legal Services

SPECIAL FEATURE: X-Press Legal Service’s Lynne Lister has written an article on the subject of digitalisation and the future of conveyancing.

I often visual life as a conveyancer as being akin to a swan, a calm and serene external appearance but underneath they are paddling like mad to stay afloat. Last week’s stamp duty news will certainly have ruffled a few feathers amongst what I believe is one of our hardest working industries.

Recognising the importance of conveyancing within the property sector is why we established X-Press Legal Services. It was because we wanted to provide a service which is an essential part of the process, one which is easily given to a search specialist allowing conveyancers to concentrate on other areas of their caseloads.

Digitalisation has always been at the core of our business, even back in 1998 we were impatient for dial up internet to speed up so we could do more! We have invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in developing digital products for the conveyancing sector because we understand that it is the future of the industry. We are hopeful that November’s enforcement of eAP1s will help legal firms even further with the many advantages that digitalisation can bring to their businesses.

E-AP1s of course, are the final step in the conveyancing process but why start at the end? Our Intelligent Online Conveyancing System (ICOS) now offers a suite of over 400 products, ensuring whatever the nature of complexity of a transaction, we have the digital tools to complete it online.

Our clients’ largest areas of concern remain compliance, fraud and more recently the growing threat of cybercrime. We have spent a lot of time supporting conveyancers, building trust in digitalisation and demonstrating to our clients that all our tools ensure the complete fulfilment of due diligence and compliance while being protected by the highest possible levels of digital security. By utilising ICOS products our clients can swiftly protect themselves from misconduct, while also ensuring the retention of the legal professions’ reputation for the highest standards of probity.

Once a conveyancer experiences how much easier their working life can be through digitalisation, they don’t look back. Automation significantly reduces the transaction process and eliminates unnecessary delays for the benefit of conveyancing professionals and their clients.

I envisage a future where the entire conveyancing process is handled online, shaving days if not weeks, off transactions. We have the tools available now to relieve caseload pressures, reduce transaction times and increase profitability and those in the know are already taking full advantage of them.

While we are very much at the forefront of digitalisation, we equally recognise the priceless human element of our business. Collectively, we have more than 400 years’ industry experience throughout our network of offices, with local people using regional knowledge to deliver the highest possible levels of service. Our on the ground search experts understand the quirks of their local planning authorities and nuances of their regional property market in a way no computer could ever comprehend.

Combining this human expertise with ICOS gives our clients the best of both worlds. Digitalisation is not a battle of technology versus humans. Despite its ability to automate a tremendous number of processes, ICOS will always work best in conjunction with human skills and intelligence. There is no substitute for years of experience, instinct and knowledge. Digitalisation complements those vital skills and adds huge value by making transactions significantly more automated, efficient and cost-effective.

This not only benefits our clients’ caseloads but we believe also gifts them the time to focus on other elements of their work or wider wellbeing. After all, we believe everyone deserves the chance to swan around every now and then!