Digitalising your conveyancing process – what it means for your firm
Digital change – why should we care?
Conveyancing is tough. I started out as a conveyancer. The process of working on a transaction is very intense.
My passion for operational transformation comes from knowing how difficult things can be for property solicitors – as well as understanding client and introducer frustrations.
So, why do we talk about digitalisation so much? Why is it on the agenda of every property conference we go to?
There is a strong and growing call to digitise the UK conveyancing process because the current system is widely seen as slow, fragile, costly, and out of step with modern consumer expectations. The pressure comes from government, regulators, lenders, insurers, and consumers alike.
The Covid pandemic shifted us into the digital age – whether we liked it or not. Digital platforms became the norm because there were no other options to keep the wheels turning.
Much of our life admin is now digital. This morning, I booked a flight online and had tickets downloaded on an app, I sorted out my insurance through a portal and then ordered my supermarket shop online.
Estate agents and introducers are also starting to transact digitally, and big referrers and corporates have online panel platforms.
In 2025, HM Land Registry invited conveyancers to begin submitting applications signed using a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) tool. Its latest corporate strategy report highlights the need to create “simplified, digital systems”.
That means the entire property industry is going to become more and more digitally enabled.
Modern consumers increasingly expect that their law firm will deliver a transparent, data-driven legal service when buying or selling property.
The changing market
Our clients rarely say: “Can you send me the instruction form by post?”. We’d lose three days waiting for it to land on their doorstep. A digital document can be with the client in seconds.
On digital journeys of their own, they have an increasing expectation that their law firm will deliver a transparent, data-driven legal service – one which uses digital tools to keep stakeholders updated in real time.
Workforces expect businesses to work digitally too. Your ‘digitalisation status’ affects how attractive you are as an employer for legal talent.
Property firms that position themselves as innovative and responsive are gaining a competitive edge.
Addressing assumptions
There are many misconceptions about digitalisation in conveyancing. The most common ones I hear include:
“Technology will replace lawyers”: It won’t. Technology is our enabler, but we will always need a blended model which keeps the human in the loop. You’re not losing that by digitalising. You’re just allowing faster access to information through the chain and to clients, introducing a layer of transparency and speed.
“Digitalisation will result in a faceless service”: In fact, it should enhance your proposition for clients. You will still need to make sure you have touchpoints at key milestones, such as explaining documents or the special conditions on a mortgage offer.
Capture your clients’ communications preferences as part of the onboarding process to tailor your approach to this. The communication needs of a buy-to-let buyer who has been through the process several times before will be different to those of a first-time buyer.
“It's too expensive”: If you work in phases, digitalisation becomes affordable. Ultimately, if you don’t digitalise, your overheads could go up – that might mean eventually conveyancing is no longer profitable for firms that haven’t adapted.
“It’s only for larger firms”: Larger firms have got bigger budgets, investments and resource pools. But smaller firms can be more agile – they're able to make changes and start using AI quickly because they've got a smaller stakeholder group to convince compared to a big volume conveyancing firm. If you’re a small firm, you should make the most of that.