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The Role of a Legal Secretary in the Conveyancing Process

Written by: The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs
Published on: 29 Jun 2023

Conveyancing Legal Secretary Jobs

Those in Legal Secretary jobs play a vital role in the conveyancing process as they carry out a variety of different tasks which contribute towards the smooth running and ultimate success of the project

The most important aspect of the Legal Secretary’s job is to provide the Conveyancers (or Property Solicitors/ Fee Earners) with support in the legal aspects of a property purchase.

The responsibilities of a Legal Secretary depends on the following:

• the level of complexity involved in the purchase,
• the structure of the practice,
• the searches or checks that are required
• the skills and/or experience of the Legal Secretary

Their responsibilities can cover anything from providing basic office or administrative support, to taking on a more in-depth co-ordination role where they are the right-hand man to the Conveyancer, even becoming the first point of contact for the clients they are working for. For more information about the roles and responsibilities of a legal secretary, you can read our ‘Legal Secretary Job Description’.

The full Conveyancing process is explained in The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs’ Legal Secretaries Diploma and this course provides a solid foundation on which to begin, or advance, a career in a as a Conveyancing Legal Secretary job in a law firm.

Here’s an idea of some of the tasks a Conveyancing Legal Secretary is likely to undertake:

Fulfilling administrative tasks

The Conveyancing procedure in the UK comes complete with a vast array of paperwork, documentation and administration. This is compulsory and must legally be carried out to ensure the viability of the purchase process. The role of a Conveyancer is to draw up and check contracts, mortgage offers, settlement statements and other legal documents. They will then analyse and verify the checks that must take place on a property prior to a transfer of ownership.

A Legal Secretary will assist the Conveyancer by compiling, checking and summarising the information gathered, and reporting back to the client before final confirmation of the purchase. There is usually a lot of exchanges of e-mails, faxes and telephone calls, as well as photocopying and scanning to be done collecting the required information the Conveyancer needs.

Liaising with clients

There are multiple stakeholders involved when purchasing a property, including (but not limited to); the buyer, the seller, both parties’ solicitors, estate agents and local government bodies. A good Legal Secretary communicates with everyone and manages their expectations in relation to timescales, progress and outcomes. They often spend a good proportion of their time taking phone calls, answering queries and requesting and receiving information from these parties.

This aspect of a Legal Secretary’s role is crucial as it frees up the Conveyancer to focus on the job in hand. By keeping everybody up to date with the progress of the purchase process the Conveyancer can identify potential obstacles and resolve issues early on.

Supporting with carrying out conveyancing searches

Carrying out the mandatory searches on properties is a time-consuming yet essential part of a property purchase. Legal Secretaries are often the people tasked with gathering this information and chasing the relevant parties where required. These searches can involve aspects such as; access rights to the property, the type and quality of land that the property is built on and any planning permission required. The results of these searches can have a big impact on whether the buyer chooses to go ahead with the purchase or not.

If you’re interested in studying conveyancing law or finding out more about the process, check out the courses on offer through The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs.

Legal Secretary Jobs in Conveyancing

If you’re looking to apply for your next Conveyancing Legal Secretary job, you can search and apply for the latest roles on TotallyLegal today.

To find out more about the soft skills required in the legal secretary profession or five steps to the perfect legal secretary cover letter, you can find read more career advice for Legal Secretaries on our blog.

This article was written in association with The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs (ILSPA) a professional body who are dedicated supporting Legal Secretaries and PAs.