Building a foundation for good conveyancing

Conveyancing Checklists (4th edition)

 

Frances Silverman and Russell Hewitson

 

£70, Law Society

 

★★★★✩

While it behoves me to point out that there is far more to good conveyancing than the purely transactional, dealing with land would be a lot more dangerous if we didn’t have a robust sign-off procedure. Whether that is done as a third-party check or by the fee-earner, or a ‘fill as you go’ team effort, you need to know that what you are checking is what you need to be checking.

The 4th edition of Conveyancing Checklists meets this need and more. For one, I was surprised to find that it wasn’t just checklists but that it contained standard letters, and guidance and advice that you could use in a broad range of situations, along with notes on pertinent points, explaining what to do (and why) in any given circumstance. The checklists themselves are adapted from those in the Conveyancing Handbook (for which this book is no substitute).

If you have been in conveyancing for as long as I have, you might think that you know it all. I am here to reassure you that you don’t. There is so much in this little book that is practical, useful and will inform and improve your practice.   

I am giving my copy to my wonderful first-seat trainee because I think she will find it extremely useful; but I imagine that we will get quite a bit of this put on to our system to try to insulate us from insurance risks.  

Where the book lets itself down is that there are no downloadables. You have to look through the book and then type it out and get it turned into a document for your system. While that does force the brain to think about why you are using the checklist in the first place, it seems nonsensical for it to be unavailable online (and is asking for typing mistakes and omissions when some poor administrator is having to grind their way through the book).  

My constant moan when I review books is that they go out of date quickly and that we would be better with an up-to-date subscription service.

A book of checklists is not an excuse to disengage your brain, but it is a great place to build yourself a good foundation (or buttress the one you already have).

 

Anna Newport is a solicitor and director at Newport Land & Law, West Yorkshire

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