A letter by a conveyancing lawyer from 1989. He asks if there is a life after conveyancying...

Law Society’s Gazette, 6 December 1989

Is there life after conveyancing? By Richard Barr of Dawbarns, Kings LynnAsk any solicitor: ‘How’s business?’ and he will either mop his brow and say that he has to do so many completions this Friday that he just does not know how to cope, or he will shake his head and reply that he is thinking of laying off half his staff.

Those familiar with these responses will know that the former answer comes from a solicitor who has not seen a completion this side of Christmas, while the latter has just taken delivery of his ‘G’ registration Porsche.

That at least was the situation until about a year ago… (but) all of a sudden we are being honest with one another. There is almost no domestic conveyancing. Some time in about August last year, it stopped. Most of us did not notice for several months, and in the confident belief that we were heading for a bumper year, continued to expand our commitments. I am sure that ours was not the only firm that had a rude awakening when the accountant finally got round to counting the pennies…

In spite of the black cloud which has floated over every recent partners’ meeting, I find it stimulating to live in exciting times. There is no reason why the house buying public should prop up the English legal system. Our part in conveyancing has had such a bad press for so long that it is almost a relief to know that it is disappearing.