This latest Today's Conveyancer Podcast welcomes conveyancing post-completion specialist Priscilla Sinder to discuss the importance of investment in post-completion to avoid costly mistakes.

In the wake of March 2025 when SDLT thresholds prompting a sizeable increase in demand and transaction volumes, post-completion work is under scrutiny.

Post-completion, says Priscilla, is one of those jobs that falls down the list of priorities because it doesn't generate any revenue. The skills have been diluted and education and training is critical to bridge the knowledge gap around post completion work

She highlights the sometimes forgotten compliance and risk aspects of post-completion, including the potential for litigation if applications are not submitted on time. The elephant in the room are the delays at HMLR but we have to look at the impact of the pandemic and be a little forgiving says Priscilla and be patient the agency's recruitment and technology plans will drive improvements.

Through her own training programmes Priscilla advocates the adoption of post-completion policies which provide a framework against which firms can ensure they are operating in a compliant manner. A main, overarching policy can be complemented by sub-post completion policies including Post-Completion Compliance Policy, a File Management Policy, a Reply to Requisition Policy and more.

Checklists are a key tool to help eliminate errors, improve accuracy and save time. Having checklists in place will ensure errors are spotted pre-submission, requisition rates are reduced, and ensure consistency in how applications are processed and submitted says Priscilla.

The podcast concludes with a discussion on the importance of post-completion specialisation and the need for continuous education and training in the field.

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 PEXA, Osprey Approach, and VacantC Legal Recruitment.

Rob Houghton, CEO of reallymoving joins the Today's Conveyancer Podcast to discuss what home moving was like before the iPhone.

reallymoving.com is a comparison site for for home moving services and recently celebrated 25 years in business.

In a fascinating discussion about the evolution of online marketing, Rob discusses what the world of online was like in 1999 and the evolution of web search in the following years. He explains how the model of bidding for keywords developed, alongside the process of building websites that provided information for consumers.

One of the criticisms directed at comparison sites is they simply encourage the race to the bottom on price; that by providing information driven by price, firms have no choice but to offer lower prices to be competitive.

It's a fair comment says Rob, but critically he describes reallymoving as a "comparison site", not a "price comparison site." Semantics perhaps but an important distinction he says as while price is important, there are other factors like reviews, location, and information about a firm's approach to client communication (home moving milestone apps etc) that inform a client's decision.

He says after price, reviews is the next most important way people choose their conveyancer, adding most people who convert through the website do not choose the lowest price.

Given the changes the business has been through over the last 25 years, looking ahead for the next 25 years is hugely challenging. No question the continued digitisation of the industry will continue apace say Rob, and as far as lead generation is concerned, there will be a deeper integration between lead generators and firms, and firms and their clients; almost certainly powered by artificial intelligence.

But Rob concludes on the thought that in 1999 comparison sites were largely an unknown quantity. Fast forward 25 years and they are now commonplace and are hugely powerful and important to the consumer experience when it comes to travel, leisure, financial services and many other sectors. Law firms take note!

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 PEXA and VacantC Legal Recruitment

Podcast host David Opie in joined by CEO of the charity LawCare, Elizabeth Rimmer, to discuss their latest "Life in the Law" surveys which are now open for completion until Friday 21st March.

LawCare supports and promotes mental health and wellbeing across the legal services sector. They have 2 main focuses. Their first is in providing direct support on and offline for those who wish to reach out. Their second focus is on providing wider education and advocacy of mental health planning and promotion across the law. Importantly, says Elizabeth, LawCare help organisations understand how they can better support their people through identifying risk factors in the work place that undermine people's mental health

The survey last ran in 2020 with the results published in 2021 and found 69% of respondents said that had experienced poor mental health. Addressing some of the reasons why the survey found 1 in 5 respondents had experienced bullying and workplace harassment; and less than half of respondents with line management responsibilities had any formal training.

In 2025 there are 2 surveys to complete; one for individuals and one for organisations. More information about how to complete the surveys is on the LawCare website (Life in the Law) and below.

The surveys are asking questions about wellbeing, hours people work, psychological safety, burnout, management and support, and bullying and harassment.

For organisations, the survey is looking into whats steps are organisations taking to address the factors of poor mental health. Good mental health is a strategic investment, says Elizabeth. Staff who have positive mental health are going to be more effective, more productive, more likely to stay in the organisations.

The objective of the surveys is to help produce evidence based best practice for firms to practically implement into their organisations. This needs to be done properly, strategically, and you need to give people capacity to deliver it concludes Elizabeth.

Complete the surveys via the links below:

• Life in the Law 2025 (Individuals)
• Life in the Law 2025 (Organisations)

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 PEXA and VacantC Legal Recruitment