Conveyancing is simply the legal process involved in buying or selling property. A conveyancing department usually deals with residential property for individuals buying their own home.
Conveyancing as a term also usually nowadays applies to other property transactions (including gifts, granting rights, etc) including agricultural and commercial, but most commonly the term is used for buying and selling and usually residential properties.
The word, like a lot of legal words, has its historical origins yet we still use it today. A legal document, called a Conveyance, would be signed by the Buyer and Seller (previously known as Purchaser and Vendor) to convey, or confirm the transfer, of property from one owner to the next.
So a Conveyance was the name for the document that conveyed the property and therefore the process became known as Conveyancing. More recently those who dealt with the Conveyancing process became known as Conveyancers- especially when legal services were opened up so that Solicitors were no longer the only legal professionals that were legally recognised.
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) is an alternative regulation authority to the SRA and those qualified with the CLC often refer to themselves as Property Lawyers or Conveyancers. The job title Conveyancer however is not legally defined and therefore anyone, even if they are unqualified or have little experience, can be called a Conveyancer. You can always check qualifications and experience online with the CLC, SRA or CILEX. More in CILEX in a future post.
If you want to buy a house you will need a Conveyancer, Property Lawyer, or Solicitor to do the legal work (the conveyancing) for you.
Conveyancing is an area where introductory roles, junior assistant roles and admin support, are often more available and usually offer great on the job training. Many big firms have their own training departments specifically for this area.
If you are looking for a job at a law firm then something in conveyancing might be a good place to start.
I’ll be publishing a further blog on the conveyancing process and how it works in the future, aimed at those who don’t know the process and would like to know more (agents, brokers, first time buyers) but in the meantime if you have any questions or comments please get in touch through the contact page of the blog or DM me on Instagram @UKPropertyLaw
UK Property Law Blog 