Lawyers chase pack

Conveyancing: Fitzpatricks eliminates bureaucracy

Controversial plans to introduce sellers' packs into the conveyancing process will be unnecessary if firms adopt the latest technology, a west Sussex law firm suggested this week.Fitzpatricks has spent six years on the in-house development of its Filechaser system, which it claims has eliminated 80% of mundane bureaucracy.

This includes processes that would be compulsory under the government's much-delayed proposals for sellers' packs.

The on-line system enables solicitors to access documents and cover procedures such as environmental searches when undertaking standard local searches.

Sole principal Tom Fitzpatrick argued that because this can take a matter of minutes, there would be no need for sellers' packs, which could not be trusted by buyers, and would be expensive and inconvenient for vendors.'The traditional view has been to see law as an art rather than a discipline, but those who don't move fast and accept that this is not the case any more and learn about technology are going to find it hard in the future,' he predicted.

'Our new system has speeded things up remarkably, and because of this there is no need for any nonsense about sellers' packs.'Mr Fitzpatrick said that Filechaser also monitors the progress of a case, and provides computerised checklists so that solicitors do not miss out important stages.But the main advantage of the system is that it allows lawyers to spend more time focusing on the individual needs of the client.

'Filechaser has taken a long time to develop, but it is now unique to us because it can be programmed to put client care first,' he said.Paula Rohan