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News

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]

Converting from CILEx Regulation to become a CLC Lawyer

5 August, 2022

FCILEx lawyers who qualified in conveyancing and/or probate can apply to transfer to CLC regulation with no further training or occupational requirement. You will become either a Licensed Conveyancer and/or Licensed Probate Practitioner. You will enjoy the benefits of being an Authorised Person in terms of the Legal Services Act 2007 and will be regulated [Read more]

Register of Overseas Entities goes live

2 August, 2022

The new Register of Overseas Entities is being introduced by the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act and launched on 1 August 2022. It will be held by Companies House. The register forms part of the government’s strategy to combat economic crime. Overseas entities that bought property or land on or after:– 1 January 1999 [Read more]

Risk agenda highlights key issues for CLC practices in 2022

14 July, 2022

Cyber-attacks, sanctions, cryptocurrency and anti-money laundering are among the new issues highlighted in our second annual Risk Agenda, published today. The agenda brings together a list of the biggest risks faced by the CLC’s regulated community, which emerged during its regular monitoring and inspection work throughout the year. It includes advice to help practices stay [Read more]

Legal Services Board approves changes to PII renewal process

23 June, 2022

From 2023, firms regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) will have to submit at least one application for professional indemnity insurance (PII) two months ahead of the renewal deadline, under plans approved by the Legal Services Board (LSB) in early June. Insurers receiving applications will then be required to respond no less than [Read more]

Improving diversity in the conveyancing industry – a consultation

14 June, 2022

The number of women and people of colour in senior roles within conveyancing is still unsatisfactory. Despite the many initiatives aimed at lowering barriers to entry and ensuring fair career progression across the entire legal profession, change is very slow – particularly for those who are vulnerable or have protected characteristics. The CLC has now [Read more]

Digital ID tools

10 May, 2022

The CLC is part of the Regulatory Response Unit of Lawtech, part of Technation. We’ve worked to develop a joint statement supporting the use of digital identity technology in the legal sector, because there seem to be misconceptions and in some areas a reluctance to move to new ways of working.   The CLC has [Read more]

Sanctions – Compliance with changing sanctions

10 March, 2022

The CLC has issued an Advisory Note on the fast-changing situation in relation to UK sanctions. It will be updated as necessary. Read the Advisory Note on the UK Sanctions Regime

Adjudication Panel Rules

16 February, 2022

The CLC has launched a consultation on changes to existing rules and the addition of further rules to to ensure that they are capable of governing a range of constitutional and procedural matters. This will include amending the constitution of the independent Adjudication Panel by codifying current practice and clarifying its powers. Read more and [Read more]

The Conveyancing Academy

4 February, 2022

The CLC has been extremely concerned by the issues at the Conveyancing Academy and the experience of students and their employers. However, the Conveyancing Academy is overseen by the SQA. The CLC has no management or control over the Conveyancing Academy or any of the other education providers approved by the SQA. This is not [Read more]

Consultation: Professional Indemnity Insurance

17 January, 2022

A consultation has been launched on possible changes to professional indemnity insurance (PII) cover for conveyancers and probate lawyers.    The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) is updating its policy on PII, a vital element of consumer protection that all the firms it regulates must have. The last review was carried out in 2016, prompting [Read more]

Routes to Licence as a CLC Lawyer (Licensed Conveyancer or Probate Practitioner)

17 December, 2021

We want to remind students and employers that the assured educational route to qualify for licence as a CLC lawyer is via the SQA level 6 Diplomas in conveyancing and probate that are regulated as part of the Register of Regulated Qualifications that are offered by providers approved by the SQA. In addition to the [Read more]

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