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News

Intervention: Alexander Grace Law Limited

17 October, 2023

In June, the CLC required Alexander Grace Law Limited to enter a managed closure process. Urgent conveyancing matters were handed over to Stephensons Solicitors. For the less urgent matters, clients were offered the choice of instructing another practice or firm to take over their transaction. Most clients chose to have their work conducted by Amity [Read more]

Survey: Grant of probate delays extend to 19 weeks

4 October, 2023

In a recent survey undertaken by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) 70% of probate practitioners reported waiting in excess of 10 weeks for probate to be granted, with 57% of those saying it was taking longer than 19 weeks. As recently as May, data released by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) revealed the [Read more]

Help with compliance: Roadshows November 2023

27 September, 2023

Join the CLC’s Regulatory Supervision Managers at four cities around the UK this November for an update on compliance issues. The team will be looking at some key issues for CLC lawyers, including anti-money laundering, the CLC’s monitoring programme, the CLC’s 2023 Risk Agenda, complaints handling, the evolution of conveyancing and probate and taking your [Read more]

Review of PII Renewal 2023

9 August, 2023

As the specialist property and probate regulator, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), has always monitored and engaged with the PII market closely to understand how it well it delivers effective consumer protection and supports a thriving legal sector. The CLC is in close contact with the insurance brokers that are signed up to the CLC’s [Read more]

Setting Regulatory fees for 2023-24

4 August, 2023

The CLC is consulting its regulated community as it proposes changes to its current practice fee rates.  The CLC is proposing to increase practice fee rates by up to 10%, while individual practicing fees will remain unchanged. The last amendment was in 2021 when the fee bandings were improved to better reflect practice turnovers and reduced [Read more]

Risk Agenda 2023

24 July, 2023

The CLC’s annual Risk Agenda brings together a list of the biggest risks faced by the CLC’s regulated community, which emerge during its regular monitoring and inspection work throughout the year, along with advice to help practices stay on the right side of compliance. Areas covered in the Risk Agenda 2023 include anti-money laundering, conflicts [Read more]

Closure of Alexander Grace Law

28 June, 2023

Alexander Grace Law (AGL) is undergoing a managed closure and will formally close at the end of this week. Clients with transactions due to complete this week (including Friday 30 June 2023) will be undertaken by AGL and do not need to do anything further.   Clients with transactions due to complete in the week [Read more]

Capital Gains Tax – Update

7 June, 2023

We have been asked by HMRC to assist in raising awareness to Licensed Conveyancers specialising in Conveyancing and probate of some new materials which are available on the following links. If you dispose of UK residential property which is not your primary residence, you may have a capital gains tax liability.  See the links below for further information and how [Read more]

Cyber Advisor Scheme

7 June, 2023

Some of you may already be aware that the Government has launched a cyber advisor scheme in collaboration with the IASME consortium.  It is aimed at SMEs.The links to follow if you would like to know more are: NSCS link: Introducing Cyber Advisors… – NCSC.GOV.UK IASME link / FAQs: Cyber Advisor Scheme – Iasme

ProConveyancing UK Limited

7 June, 2023

Intervention into ProConveyancing UK Limited – 7 June 2023 In order to protect the interests of the clients, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has intervened into: ProConveyancing UK Limited, trading from: Suite G5, Ground FloorGateway HouseNew Chester RoadBromboroughCH62 3NX Frequently asked questions Q. Where is the file for my matter? A. Your files are currently [Read more]

Guidance on submitting better quality Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)

5 June, 2023

Developed with the National Crime Agency’s UK Financial Intelligence Unit see this advice on how to submit better quality SARs

Compliance Roadshows Spring 2023

25 April, 2023

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the CLC have had to postpone the Roadshows scheduled to take place this month.We envisage that they will now take place late summer or early autumn and will publicise details for the events in due course.We apologise for any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you later in the year.

Transfer of Funds from China

8 March, 2023

Together with the other legal sector regulators we have today published new guidance on Chinese funds and underground banking. Find out more

Upskill your team

8 March, 2023

Increasing the proportion of qualified lawyers to unqualified fee-earners in your practice helps to reduce risk and improves practice generally. It demonstrates to the CLC, lenders and others that there is a commitment to quality and high standards. The apprenticeship and traditional study routes both great ways to upskill existing staff. Find out about approved [Read more]

LSB needs to widen its focus on improving customer information

10 February, 2023

The Legal Services Board (LSB) needs to focus on improving customer information in more pressing areas of practice than conveyancing, where there is already significantly more information available than in other areas, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has said. The conveyancing sector, it says, must concentrate on the transformation of the home buying and [Read more]

Cyber Protection: A CLC partnership with the Law Society of Wales and the Welsh Government

16 January, 2023

Firms will be aware of the rising risk of cyber attacks, and the current challenge facing the Royal Mail (which may well have also  affected your or your clients’ operations). All legal firms naturally hold sensitive data, making them an increasingly attractive target for cyber criminals. And conveyancers of course sometimes face additional risks due [Read more]

CLC to issue Regulatory Return Questionnaire to all practices

16 January, 2023

The CLC will shortly issue a Regulatory Return to all CLC-regulated practices. It asks for information on a range of activities over the last calendar year to help the CLC develop and focus its monitoring and compliance work. Managers should be able to answer the majority of the questions without research, but might need to [Read more]

Fee Waiver Extended for CILEx Lawyers Converting to become CLC Lawyer

12 January, 2023

The CLC has extended the fee waiver for CILEx lawyers converting to CLC regulation, until the end of April 2023. More than 130 CILEx lawyers have begun the application process since the waiver was introduced in December 2022 and 42 CLC Licences have been issued already. FCILEx lawyers who qualified in conveyancing and/or probate can [Read more]

Fake Email

16 December, 2022

We have seen a fake email purporting to be from the Chief Executive of the CLC, Sheila Kumar.  It did not come from a CLC address but from this address: offiuse25@gmail.com Please let us know if you or any colleagues receive any similar fake email.  Email us at CLC@clc-uk.org

CLC seeks to expand its Continuous Professional Development requirements

9 December, 2022

The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) is proposing major changes to its Continuous Professional Development (CPD) requirements, moving towards an outcomes-focused approach. In its latest consultation, the CLC sets out a new set of principles which will involve changes for individuals, as well as introducing a universal CPD requirement for CLC firms. These proposals will [Read more]

CLC Application and Licence Fees and Regulatory Fee Rates Frozen for 2022-23

15 November, 2022

Firms regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) will not face any increase in application fees, licence fees and regulatory fee rates for the coming year. The announcement follows an open consultation which ran over the summer and asked firms to respond on five areas, covering turnover bandings, Practice Fee rates, Compensation Fund Contribution [Read more]

CLC chair tells profession: Don’t confuse ‘assisted compliance’ with light-touch regulation

4 November, 2022

Resorting to disciplinary action is a symptom of regulatory failure but ‘assisted compliance’ is not the easy option, the chair of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) said today. Speaking at the SLC annual conference in Derby, Dame Janet described assisted compliance – a collaborative approach to achieving compliance – as “a unique strength of [Read more]

CLC making use of its full range of regulatory powers to ensure proportionate regulation

20 October, 2022

The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) is making greater use of its enforcement powers as it looks to ensure it is a proportionate regulator, chief executive Sheila Kumar has said. Meanwhile, CLC chair Dame Janet Paraskeva says it will step up efforts to encourage firms and lawyers from other parts of the legal profession to [Read more]

It’s coming for homes

28 September, 2022

The annual CLC stakeholder roundtable found that the property market continues to run hot – and that leadership is needed to ensure that the conveyancing process is modernised to cope The period from the housing market reopening in June 2020 after the first lockdown and the end of the stamp duty holiday in September 2021 [Read more]

SDLT Changes, 23rd September 2022

23 September, 2022

Increase in the nil-rate thresholds for residential property The Chancellor has announced that, with effect from today, the SDLT nil-rate threshold for residential property has been increased from £125,000 to £250,000. The nil-rate threshold for First Time Buyers’ Relief is also increased from £300,000 to £425,000 and first time buyers can now claim relief on [Read more]

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