Top firms sign up to PISCES in renewed e-conveyancing push

City law firms are queuing up to get involved with a project which they are predicting could be the driving force behind the e-conveyancing revolution - and are urging smaller firms to jump on the same bandwagon before it is too late.

The Property Information Systems Common Exchange Standard (PISCES) is an XML-based set of definitions and rules enabling data transfer between software packages, making it easier to share information.

A not-for-profit user group, under the same name, was created five years ago, with Linklaters the first to sign up last year, and Lovells and Scottish firm Dundas & Wilson following.

Berwin Leighton Paisner, CMS Cameron McKenna and SJ Berwin joined this month.

PISCES has recently met with the Land Registry and the Council of Mortgage Lenders to get the scheme adopted and streamline the e-conveyancing process.

Nick Bartlett, an assistant in Linklaters' real estate department, said: 'This has been going for about five years, but is really taking off now because e-conveyancing needs a method of communication.

The idea is that one day everyone will have it.'

Partner Patrick Plant added that smaller firms should also consider investing in making their systems PISCES-compliant.

'Clients and asset managers are increasingly looking for lawyers to assist them in capturing information on real estate assets,' he explained.

Janet Day, IT director at Berwin Leighton Paisner, agreed that a standard was vital if plans for paperless offices were to progress smoothly.

'The e-conveyancing revolution hangs on the extent to which the bodies involved can exchange easily useable information,' she said.

'Database consistency at both ends will certainly help enhance the usability of that information.'

PISCES chairman Mark Riddick, who is also managing director of National land Information Service channel provider Searchflow, said the system would save multiple entry of the same data and reduce human error.

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Paula Rohan