“I’ve worked in conveyancing for 20 years, across a range of roles but the one constant has been a focus on building strong relationships with stakeholders to make the conveyancing process better for everyone,” says Andy.

This includes all of our people at Bell Lamb & Joynson. We want them to be happy in their work and feel supported so that they want to stay with us. That’s why the CLC pathway is crucial as it offers real career progression and is accessible to just about everyone.

Andy had previously worked at firms that were regulated by the CLC and had seen first-hand the benefits of the regulator’s route to qualification.

It was a new direction for the firm, which has historically been quite traditional and solicitor-led, but take-up has proved popular and there are currently seven employees studying to become CLC-licensed conveyancers.

Andy says: “We strongly support our people in developing their careers, and the CLC qualifications gives them a clear path to do just that.

The other big advantage is they can do it at their own pace, so it allows them to continue working whilst gaining practical experience at the same time.

Conveyancing as a career has had some negative press in recent times, with unprecedented levels of activity during the various stamp duty holidays reportedly causing some to quit the profession.

That’s why it’s more important than ever to encourage the next generation to explore what can be an interesting and rewarding career, adds Martha.

Our current CLC students include members of the new business team who are at the very start of their careers. At the other end of the spectrum, we have someone studying who has been working in conveyancing for 20 years so already has an enormous amount of knowledge.

The firm, which has five offices across the North West, offers funding and paid study leave for colleagues who wish to undertake the CLC qualifications. As well as supporting their existing staff, they say they have also reaped the rewards when it comes to recruitment.

We’ve found that many candidates these days have varying requirements and different priorities. They are keen to pursue a career in the law, but don’t want to go to university or at least not if it means coming out with thousands of pounds worth of debt.

One of our colleagues who is studying for a CLC qualification wrote a blog about their experience and we get a lot of people asking questions about that and where they can submit their CV.

It has opened up the world of conveyancing to a far wider group of people, which can only be a positive thing not just for firms like ours but for the profession as a whole.