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16 June 2011 / Phillip Oldcorn
Issue: 7470 / Categories: Features , Property
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A risky business?

Phillip Oldcorn explains how innovation can help reduce risk

Here’s a suggestion for an interesting game for the conveyancer’s office. Ask your next few clients how they think risk is managed in their conveyancing transaction.

Agree among the staff a selection of possible answers; the Land Registry, the conveyancer is responsible for all conveyancing risk, the Law Society will protect me etc.  Do a sweepstake for the answers among the staff. Sit back and enjoy the game!

The correct answer is that there are several factors which mitigate most but not all conveyancing risks. Think of the following: good quality conveyancing practice, a (limited) Land Registry guarantee, PI insurance.  But how often do we stop and consider the uninsured risks that the best conveyance cannot prevent?  How can we cater for a dishonest seller? Why doesn’t anyone measure and/or GPS the boundaries of a property?  How can we protect those most vulnerable to mortgage or identity fraud?

Blind spots

There is a real consumer blind spot and lack of curiosity about the subject. This

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

Muckle LLP—Roland Fairlamb

Muckle LLP—Roland Fairlamb

Specialist associate solicitor rejoins Muckle’s leading employment team

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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