Conveyancing community enjoys first dedicated conference

Over 150 licensed conveyancers and members of the legal profession gathered last week at the first, of what is expected to become an annual conference for the industry, organised by the Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC).

The topic of the day was very much focused on how licensed conveyancers, particularly independents and smaller firms, can get access to lenders’ panels, with a large number of attendees highlighting this as a growing concern.

In response to this, the afternoon session was focused on the SLC’s new panel proposition: SLC Quality Assured. Attendees were the first to gain access to an exclusive preview of the SLC’s new solution, which aims to ultimately ensure that all SLC members are on all lenders’ panels. Members of the SLC have now been invited to provide their feedback on the solution, before it is further refined and launched to the market in 2012.

John Clay, chairman of the Society of Licensed Conveyancers, said: “The conference was a great success. We’ve had some very positive feedback, with many attendees also enjoying the networking opportunity that the day provided. We hope that this will become an eagerly anticipated annual event for the conveyancing industry.”

Speakers at the event included Jennifer Bourne from the Council of Mortgage Lenders who covered the topic of mortgage fraud and the steps lenders are taking to address this growing concern.

Paul Broadhead from the Building Societies Association gave an overview of market conditions and highlighted some of the challenges in relation to open versus closed panels.

Alex Roy from the Legal Services Board explored the implications of Alternative Business Structures.

The morning session also included a presentation from Victor Olowe, CEO of the Council of Licensed Conveyancers, the industry’s regulator.