Podcast
Today's Conveyancer Podcast
Hosted by Today's Conveyancer · EN
The Today's Conveyancer Podcast introduces listeners to the wide array of individuals and organisations who contribute to the success of the conveyancing industry. With a mix of business and industry insight, innovation, and knowledge sharing, the podcast is a "must-listen" for property professionals.
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Surviving and thriving in a modern conveyancing practice
1w ago00:30:26Tap to summarizeIn a post on social media Marc Lansdell, founder of Evolve Law and the guest for this Today's Conveyancer Podcast, boldly stated his firm had put up conveyancing fees; and he had not seen any loss of work or negative impact on his business. Despite difficult market conditions Lansdell explains how the decision was reasonably straightforward once he understood his own data, and the potential impact any increase might have. By analysing conversion rates against fee levels, the firm identified a point where higher fees could generate greater profitability without materially affecting instruction volumes.. as a result average fees increased by c. £500 per matter, which more than offset the c. 2% reduction in conversion rates. But higher prices only work if you consistently deliver what you say you will. The practicalities of selling higher-priced conveyancing services include strong review profiles, trusted introducer relationships and consistency in service standards.Data driven decision making is a key topic of discussion, acknowledging that when the business was small, some of the decisions might have been more based on gut and instinct. Now though nearly all major business decisions at Evolve Law are informed by detailed performance metrics. He adds he has harnessed AI to help with business intelligence and management insights, enabling faster and more informed decision-making. Evolve have also invested in a training academy for staff; adopting a "grown you own" approach at a time when recruitment is one of the biggest challenges facing conveyancers. The academy goes beyond legal training, combining technical conveyancing knowledge with customer service skills, business development awareness, wellbeing education, and an understanding of firm finances. The aim is to create well-rounded conveyancers who are equipped for the demands of modern legal practice. Lansdell argues that successful conveyancers need far more than legal expertise; they must be able to communicate effectively, manage workloads, understand clients, and maintain their own wellbeing. Refreshingly candid, Lansdell shares how he sees a modern conveyancing firm can navigate market pressures while investing in growth, innovation and long-term sustainability.The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack
Transcribe →Crossing the red line; what's outside the title plan boundary?
3w ago00:42:07Tap to summarizeThe planning landscape is shifting at pace and for conveyancers, the risks are no longer confined to the red line on a title plan. That’s the warning from DevAssist founder Paul Addison and OnPoint Data co‑founder Jeremy Dorkins in the latest Today’s Conveyancer Podcast, where both argue that future development risk is now a core part of modern due diligence.Addison launched DevAssist to tackle what lies outside the red line. As he puts it, “there’s a 46% chance… something could be happening just outside those boundaries”, something capable of affecting views, amenity or value. With the government’s accelerated push for housing, those odds are only rising.The National Planning Policy Framework has been “injected with steroids” with the re‑introduced five‑year housing supply requirement triggering a surge in opportunistic applications. Councils unable to demonstrate supply face the tilted balance, where “benefit outweighs harm” and large schemes on greenfield land become difficult to resist.Yet most buyers remain unaware of the deeper planning pipeline and you know just who they are going to blame when they find out their view is about to be blighted. Bird & Bird made it “abundantly clear” that solicitors must report on planning data or searches says Addison. "If something untoward does happen… the first point of call will be the conveyancing solicitor" adds Dorkins. The podcast is a must listen for conveyancers who don't know their greybelt from their SHELAA.The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack
Transcribe →Employee owned trusts; what's all the fuss about?
4w ago00:28:23Tap to summarizeHow do law firm owners pass on their business? Their culture and legacy? At a time when private equity investment is increasingly popular and offers a potentially lucrative route to exit, firms are also exploring the opportunities presented by alternatives; including Employee owned Trusts (EoTs). As Mark Slade former CEO and current CTO of Fidler and Pepper explains in this latest Today's Conveyancer Podcast, his firm has recently opted to become an EoT.He candidly discusses how the directors began to explore their succession planning; initially a trade sale was an option. He says they explored private equity too. But the more he and co‑owner (and brother) Matt explored these routes, the more uneasy they became. Redundancies. Loss of identity. Earn‑outs. Reporting to new bosses. The risk of being “kicked into touch” after decades of service. None of it aligned with the firm they had built.The success of another firm prompted Slade to look into EoT and he discovered what it offered was what he and Matt were looking for. A future shaped by the people who built the business; protection for long‑serving staff; flexibility for his co-directors, a structure that rewarded loyalty and performance; and importantly, a legacy bigger than any partner.It's not a "quick-win"... the payout is long‑term. The business must continue to perform. Succession still matters. But the reaction from staff, who were aware of plans to look at what the future of the business looked like, was immediate and emotional. Slade concludes an EOT deserves a serious look for firms looking at their succession planning.The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack
Transcribe →CILEX CEO Interview: "I was in the job for 16 days before Mazur..."
Jun 1300:31:42Tap to summarizeAfter a baptism of fire when just 16 days into her new role as CEO of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) Jennifer Coupland was thrust into one of the biggest crises legal services has faced since the Legal Services Act with the Mazur ruling and subsequent appeal.In a wide ranging discussion on the Today's Conveyancer Podcast, Coupland discusses how she handled the immediate aftermath of the decision, the appeal, and how she plans to shape the organisation going forward after plans to bring CILEX under SRA regulation were shelved.She leads CILEX after a successful period running the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, transforming the perception of apprenticeships into a respected and sought-after career route. She sees strong parallels with CILEX’s model of “earning while learning,” which she believes is vital for improving diversity and accessibility in the legal profession.Although CILEX was ultimately successful in its Mazur appeal, the ordeal was a "really, really tough 10 months for some of our members" says Coupland who adds the case exposed outdated aspects of the Legal Services Act 2007 and advocates for a sector-wide review to modernise legislation.Through the course of the podcast she also highlights the need to improve consumer understanding of legal services, particularly awareness of specialist providers and the importance of quality, regulation, and affordability. Internally, Coupland has navigated challenges around potential regulatory alignment with bodies like the SRA, ultimately pausing plans but maintaining a commitment to reducing duplication and complexity.Looking ahead, CILEX’s five-year strategy focuses on growth, education, influencing legal reform, and raising the organisation’s profile, with member engagement seen as crucial to its future direction. The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack
Transcribe →“Consumers don’t care about data"
Jun 600:30:49Tap to summarize“Consumers don’t care about data. They care about whether something will stop them buying the property."Former conveyancer and mortgage broker, and now Chief Commercial Officer at property due diligence search provider Martello Jess Green joins the latest Today's Conveyancer Podcast to explore the changing world of environmental search reports. Climate risk (well documented!), data overload, and rising lender scrutiny all contribute to the stresses and strains of day to day conveyancing; and suppliers need to step up and support, rather than drowning conveyancers in 40 page PDFs. Less repetition, and stop treating environmental risk as a tick‑box exercise. Instead trusted data allied to expert interpretation helps lawyers advise, not firefight says Green. She says Martello are trying to find the right balance between interpreting environmental data that was never designed for lawyers, and delivering robust reports which show the “homework” behind risk, giving conveyancers clarity instead of noise. “Consumers don’t care about data. They care about whether something will stop them buying the property,” she says .Armed with a new mines and minerals report she says Martelllo are trying to get to a point where conveyancers stop copying and pasting, and start working with clean, structured, shareable information that works for them and for their clients. The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack
Transcribe →The "motherhood penalty" and the legal profession
May 3000:27:37Tap to summarizeThe latest Today’s Conveyancer Podcast turns its attention to one of the profession’s most persistent, and least openly discussed, challenges: the impact of maternity leave on women’s careers in law. While the legal sector is not alone in perpetuating the motherhood penalty, the measurable career disadvantage experienced by women after having children, the podcast explores the unique pressure the legal sector presents around billable hours, PQE structures and the absence of traditional line management which compound the issue. Returning mothers must “claw back” work, visibility and confidence say Sara Lyons and Hannah Bradshaw, former employment lawyers and co‑founders of Blue Sky; both of whom have personally experienced the issue and who now coach hundreds of female lawyers going through similar experiences. Lyons and Bradshaw are clear; this is not a theoretical concept, nor a “woke invention”, but an economic and structural reality that continues to shape women’s progression in the legal sector. 78% of women on their programme report experiencing the motherhood penalty, while 77.8% worry about the impact of maternity leave on their long‑term career prospects. These figures, they argue, should be a wake‑up call for firms that still consider themselves “equal opportunities employers” while operating within systems that are anything but gender‑neutral.There is a cultural discomfort that surrounds maternity‑related discussions in law firms they say. Silence is damaging; women want clarity, support and honest dialogue about career progression, not well‑meaning but vague reassurances.“You can have it all... just not all at the same time" is the mantra firms and employees need to adopt. The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack
Transcribe →Telling your compliance story; PII renewals and risk
May 1600:30:14Tap to summarizeProfessional indemnity insurance is a fickle market. Conveyancing firms are once again navigating a market that remains challenging, nuanced, and increasingly shaped by risk culture rather than raw numbers.Renewal season is the backdrop to this latest Today's Conveyancer Podcast discussion with Miller Insurance account managers Marianne McWilliams and Phil Limb who lift the lid on what insurers are really looking for and why firms need to rethink how they present themselves.Appetite for conveyancing work has improved say McWilliams and Limb, but insurers are scrutinising firms more closely than ever, particularly around expertise, file supervision and risk management.Limb reiterates the point many insurers have made in recent years; dabbling is dangerous. Firms undertaking only a handful of transactions must demonstrate robust systems, specialist case management and clear referral points. “If you are doing a low amount of conveyancing, it’s about proving the expertise… and that you’ve got referral points at certain critical points” .Technology is now central to that story. Specialist case management systems, automated checkpoints and emerging AI tools can all strengthen a firm’s risk profile but only when used intelligently. McWilliams cautions that AI requires rigorous due diligence and human oversight: “if you ask the wrong prompt… you’re not going to get the right answer” .Insurers are also watching emerging risks closely, from crypto‑related funds to cyber incidents. The takeaway is clear: firms must articulate their risk culture, not just their compliance. Insurers want clarity, candour and evidence of control. Conveyancers who can demonstrate that story will be the ones securing the best outcomes when it comes round to renewal.The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack
Transcribe →Making legal technology work harder for law firms
May 900:31:52Tap to summarizeAre law firms making the most of their technology investment? Most businesses only use a fraction of the capability of their existing technology, underestimating what platforms such as Microsoft 365 or their case management systems can already do. As a result, firms often purchase overlapping software that performs similar functions, increasing cost and complexity without delivering real value.Its a pet subject for legal technology consultants Stephen Lucas and Mike Taylor who join Today's Conveyancer Podcast host David Opie for this latest episode exploring how law firms can improve efficiency, reduce duplication, and understand the “art of the possible” when it comes to legal tech, automation and AI.The first part of that process involves understanding what systems are in place, what the firm actually needs to achieve, and where simple changes or integrations can unlock efficiencies. Poor technology decisions are often made because firms do not clearly define their requirements before engaging with vendors. Sales processes can oversell functionality, leading to costly long-term contracts and difficult system migrations. In the age of artificial intelligence, both are advocates of robotic process automation (RPA) as a practical solution for interoperability and automation; helping where systems cannot easily integrate. RPA allows “robots” to replicate human actions, logging into portals, copying and pasting data, triggering workflows, at far greater speed and accuracy. Tasks that might take a member of staff ten minutes can often be completed in under a minute, without errors, and even run outside office hours. By eliminating repetitive administrative tasks, firms not only save money but also reduce risk, improve compliance, and free staff to focus on higher-value work. Importantly automation does not typically lead to resistance from employees. Instead, staff often welcome it, as it removes frustrating and monotonous tasks from their daily workload.When it comes to AI closed, UK-hosted AI environments, rather than the large language models like ChatGPT, CoPilot and Claude, that allow firms to benefit from document summarisation, case analysis and risk identification without exposing confidential information. And rather than trying to do everything all at once, a process-driven approach will yield better results; mapping the end-to-end legal workflow, identifying pain points, and introducing technology incrementally.Ultimately, say Lucas and Taylor, firms don't need to be spending thousands of pounds on new technology; rather they should be focusing on maximising the functionality of existing technology with simple interconnectivity solutions. The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack
Transcribe →What is the impact of the Middle East conflict on the property market?
May 300:16:36Tap to summarizeIn a slightly shorter podcast host David Opie welcomes on usual guests Ben Robinson and Rob Gurney of Landmark to discuss their latest Property Trends Report for the first quarter of 2026. It's a mixed picture with plenty to be positive about... but how much of the last three months remains relevant against a backdrop of geo-political uncertainty? Particularly in the wake of the recent decision by the Bank of England to hold interest rates, and signal a return to interest rate rises in the event inflation remains well above its stated target of 2%. What does this mean for conveyancers and the wider property market? Listen in to find out... The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack
Transcribe →Tax adviser status; what do conveyancers need to know?
Apr 2400:35:42Tap to summarizeWhat do conveyancers need to know about the pending requirements for those "interacting" with HMRC to register as tax advisers. To take a deep dive into the issue the Today's Conveyancer Podcast welcomes Ian Quayle, CEO of IQ Legal Training, and Ryan Hannah, Managing Director of Compass. With the registration window opening imminently and clarity still frustratingly thin on the ground what do we know, and more importantly, what are we still waiting for. There is a risk, says Quayle, registering as a tax adviser risks creating a dangerous mismatch between what conveyancers are and what clients may now assume them to be. The potential for negligence claims, client confusion and professional overreach looms large.There is also an issue here around fairness; every taxpayer, says Hannah, deserves accurate, consistent application of the law, and the current system leaves too much to chance. He highlights the routine, everyday transactions - not necessarily the sprawling country piles - as the real breeding ground for costly mistakes.The podcast explores unanswered questions around registration, the spectre of fines and suspensions, the inadequacy of existing guidance, the implications of outsourcing, and the uncomfortable reality that conveyancers may soon be held to higher tax‑advice standards than ever before.Is that such a bad thing? Does forcing registration on the sector set out to improve standards in this constantly thorny issue? Discuss...The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack
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