John Wotton, vice president of the Law Society visits the Key Network

29-11-2010

ONE of Britain’s top lawyers has met a group of Cornish conveyancing solicitors to hear how they are changing the way house purchases and sales take place.

John Wotton, vice president of the Law Society, the professional association that represents the legal profession in England and Wales, had a special meeting with committee members of Cornwall’s Key Network in Truro on Friday, (November 26).

He heard how the county’s leading property solicitors are working together to ensure that, despite being in competition with each other, they can work closely together to ensure house sales are smoother and quicker, with less chance of failing because of legislative problems.

The Key Network also works towards forging closer links with Cornwall’s estate agents to ensure that every stage of the house buying process is streamlined and less likely to experience problems.

Mr Wotton’s visit coincides with a new threat to the integrity of the legal industry in the form of government deregulation. Often referred to as “Tesco Law”, deregulation will make it possible for large supermarkets and other organisations to own a substantial share in legal firms, making supermarket-style law firms a possibility for the first time.

The concerns is these entrants would have the power to drive down prices in the same way that supermarkets do – seen by many as a threat to Cornwall which is a stronghold of independent and family legal firms that offer a high standard of work and have long and close relationships with their clients.

“It’s interesting to see this collaborative partnership that involves solicitors and estate agents working more closely together,” said Mr Wotton.

“I think a more efficient and client-friendly process is the future of conveyancing and it’s the job of the profession to make that happen, particularly in a more competitive marketplace that’s already evolving and will continue to evolve as we are seeing more external investment in law firms.

Alison Nicholls, a committee member of the Key Network, said: “We were very pleased to welcome Mr Wotton and explain to him some of the good work that the Key Network is doing. We have found that by working together we can work more quickly, efficiently and the people who win at the end of the day are those whose house purchases and sales are moving more quickly and securely.”