Conveyancing under the spotlight: community, challenge and change

Our 2026 Annual Conference was always going to feel significant as we marked a real and significant milestone –  25 years of the Conveyancing Association – but what stood out most for me was not simply the milestone or even the scale of the event at our new venue, The Belfry, it was the very clear reminder of what our conveyancing community represents at a time when our sector is too often criticised from the outside.

I opened the Conference by setting out the work we are currently undertaking on behalf of members in response to a number of pressing issues, including proposals to charge conveyancers for access to the Lenders’ Handbook, concerns around requirements to register as tax advisers in relation to SDLT submissions, and opposition to suggestions that interest earned on client accounts could be used to fund the justice system.

I did this because these are not distant policy debates but matters that go directly to the way firms operate and to the service they are able to provide to their clients.

However, it was when I spoke about the recent collapse of a law group that the room reacted most strongly, because what followed that collapse was not finger pointing or self-interest but a collective effort from CA legal members, affiliates and stakeholders to support displaced staff and to protect affected clients, and that response captured the very best of our market at a time when commentary can too easily focus only on delay, cost or complaint.

In the days after the collapse, individuals and firms stepped forward to offer roles, practical support and reassurance, and others worked behind the scenes to help ensure transactions were progressed and clients were not left in limbo, which in my view demonstrates that conveyancing is a profession built on responsibility and care, even in difficult circumstances.

Digital change and practical reform

The wider Conference theme, ‘Conveyancing Under the Spotlight’, felt particularly pertinent in the context of everything that is going on. That theming allowed us to examine both the pressures and the progress within the sector, and as highlighted in our post-event press release, there was a clear message from a range of speakers that significant digital change is no longer a distant ambition but something that is gathering pace throughout 2026.

We heard about the growing role of digital tools and AI in supporting the purchase and sales process, about Government consultations that could lead to legislative reform of home buying and selling, and about the continued move towards more upfront information, all of which have the potential to improve transparency and reduce uncertainty for consumers if they are implemented with care and with proper input from those who deliver transactions on the ground.

At the same time, there was honest debate about the risks, because change that looks straightforward in theory can create real operational pressure in practice, and our role as an Association is to ensure conveyancers have a strong and informed voice in shaping any reform so that it works for firms of all sizes and models, and ultimately delivers better outcomes for clients rather than simply shifting responsibility or cost.

Eddie Goldsmith, as Conference Chair, reflected on how far the sector has come over the past 25 years and the extent to which digital solutions now offer genuine scope to improve both speed and clarity in the home moving process, but he was also clear that progress will depend on collaboration across lenders, agents, technology providers and Government, rather than on any one part of the market acting alone.

Gratitude and generosity

 I would like to thank Landmark Information Group, our Headline Sponsor, along with all of our sponsors, speakers, and panellists, whose support and insight ensured the Conference provided both challenge and constructive debate, and I am equally grateful to the many delegates who attended, contributed and continued conversations well beyond the formal sessions.

Following the Conference, we gathered for our Charity Dinner and Drinks Reception – sponsored by Stewart Title, where we raised over £8,000 for Parkinson’s UK, a cause that is very close to my heart, and I was deeply moved by the generosity shown in the room, which again reflected a sector willing to look beyond its own immediate concerns and to support a wider purpose

As we move forward into the rest of 2026, I remain confident that while scrutiny of conveyancing will continue, so too will the commitment within this community to improve standards, support one another and ensure reform is grounded in practical reality, because the events of the past year have shown that when the market is tested, it is capable of responding with professionalism, integrity and collective strength.

Nicky Heathcote is Non-Executive Chair at The Conveyancing Association