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I worked as a conveyancer for 30 years (74 to 04). I was taught by Legal Executives and Solicitors who would sometimes visit the property and knew unregistered titles inside out. It was about 12 years before I had encountered most, but not all, potential conveyancing problems.

Over the last 30 years I calculate that I have helped thousands of people move home successfully. I received very few complaints and (touch wood!) no claims at all.

It is very stressful and you have to strike a good deal with your employer to be paid well. But if you can bring work in, via agents and brokers etc and get repeat business, you can earn good money.

If you need to do high volumes and want to do the work thoroughly, you have no choice but to work long hours. I regularly started at 5.00 am and finished at 7.00 pm, adding another 10 hours over a weekend. I did the complicated, time consuming legal work between the hours on 5.00 am to 9.00 am and 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm and at weekends. During the day I took calls, updated, chased and kept my clients and contacts happy.

My efficient reputation was sometimes too good for my own benefit. Every agent in the chain would phone me to find out what was going on. I also had many happy clients, received cards, flowers and bottles of wine galore and more and more agents were recommending me, but, like many other diligent conveyancers, I had no home life.

I don’t agree, “your client will hate you unless you can complete the transaction quickly, cheaply and efficiently.” If you communicate with them effectively and manage their expectations they will appreciate the efforts you are putting in for them.

The fact of the matter is nothing has really improved. Conveyancing, as a profession/job has very little to offer young people and moving home should be one of the most exciting things you can do in your life. It should not be nearly as stressful as death or divorce. In addition, the situation with lenders is tricky and they moan about us as much as we moan about them.

We need all relevant stakeholders/parties (solicitors, conveyancers, lenders, brokers and the public etc) to sit down and discuss the best way forward.