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Expensive mistakes

19 November 2009 / Katherine Rees
Issue: 7394 / Categories: Features , Property
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Katherine Rees examines risks arising from property transactions

I suspect that, if you were to ask a lawyer in the throes of a large transaction what part of the deal featured in their nightmares, he or she would be most spooked by the fear of getting the intricacies of a complex provision wrong.

However, as recent cases have shown, claims are just as likely to arise from oversights or simple (but potentially expensive) mistakes as they are from subtle errors of legal analysis or judgment.

The economic crisis gives rise to its own particular claims, specifically those brought by lenders against solicitors and valuers, which tend to centre round the professional’s alleged failure to report information which would have affected the decision to lend.

While those claims abound, the more traditional claims against property lawyers also continue. Indeed, they look set to increase as mistakes made in the good times come to light during the downturn.

In this article I have selected three perennial sources of problems for solicitors which the courts have had to

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Sports, education and charities practice welcomes senior associate

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Partner and head of commercial litigation joins in Chelmsford

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Firm strengthens Glasgow corporate practice with partner hire

NEWS
One in five in-house lawyers suffer ‘high’ or ‘severe’ work-related stress, according to a report by global legal body, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
The Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO’s) plea for a budget increase has been rejected by the Law Society and accepted only ‘with reluctance’ by conveyancers
Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned
Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace
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