Solicitors in England and Wales are required to declare their competency by October 31st.

Now is the time to reflect on your practice and decide if there are areas where you could benefit from a top-up of knowledge, especially covering some of the more recent developments in the conveyancing practice.

Our Distance Learning courses are pre-recorded video lectures, one hour each, so you can complete them at your pace in bite-size pieces or all in one day.

Stephen Desmond is our speaker for Residential Property in the 2020 catalogue. He is a highly experiences legal trainer and a consultant, with excellent feedback from our customers.

The titles are as follows:

Even More Contemporary Issues in Residential Conveyancing
This session covers:

Limiting your risk when a selling client is potentially liable to pay money on account of capital gains tax under the new regime starting April 2020
SDLT: Bringing you up to date with recent developments concerning mixed-use purchases
Keeping you abreast of key changes to the Conveyancing Protocol
Helping you to understand the implications of the new anti-fraud undertakings contained the updated Code for Completion by Post
Making you aware of current issues involving disputes over beneficial interests and transfers of equity

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Key Elements of the Law Society's Conveyancing Protocol
This session covers:

Summarising some of the key checks the Protocol requires to be made at the outset of a transaction
Ensuring you become familiar with key Protocol recommendations for preparing the draft contract and accompanying documentation
Raising awareness of what the Protocol says about pre-contract enquiries and supplying planning permissions
Understanding key elements of the Protocol regarding Leasehold conveyancing
Considering the implications of what the Protocol says about the Code for Completion by Post

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SDLT: An Overview of Key Issues for Residential Conveyancers
This session covers:

Considering key characteristics of occupation of property that might be regarded as being consistent or inconsistent with residence
Outlining some key risks of amending a client’s SDLT return, especially when a refund of tax is also sought
Exploring key issues that blur the line between wholly residential and mixed-use purchases in certain cases
Helping the conveyancer to spot when a purchase might be deemed to be an acquisition of two or more dwellings
Discussing whether and when you should outsource your SDLT calculations in non-routine purchases

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Contemporary Issues in Leasehold Conveyancing

This session covers:

Exploring difficult issues surrounding Ground Rents: assured tenancies, onerous reviews, concerns about possible possession claims
Lease extensions: Considering, in the light of Villarosa v Ryan, the statutory rights of personal representatives and the pitfalls of assigning a section 42 notice
Outlining some of the key issues surrounding unauthorised alterations to flats
Focusing on key developments in building and fire safety involving blocks of flats
Raising awareness of some recent cases involving flat owners and how the resulting decisions might affect conveyancing practice in leasehold transactions

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Lenders' Handbook and Your Duties to Lenders
This session covers:

Addressing practitioner and lender concerns about rentcharges and section 121 LPA 1925 remedies
Considering some of the practical lessons to be learned from key negligence cases brought against conveyancers by lenders
Explaining why a short period of ownership is a lender concern and fraud riskExploring the circumstances when a lender may not accept a flying freehold, even with an indemnity policy
Summarising key lender requirements concerning the adequacy of leasehold covenants which relate to the management of a block of flats

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Conveyancing Searches and Enquiries: Key Issues to Consider
This session covers

Addressing some of the key pitfalls arising from the Community Infrastructure Levy
Explaining the practical implications of decided cases which have arisen due to errors in searches or in reporting to client on those searches
Making practitioners aware of some of the key risks associated with breaches of covenant involving building works (for both flats and houses)
Outlining some of the key perils associated with Japanese knotweed being within or close to the boundaries of a property
Gaining key insights from misrepresentation claims brought against sellers of properties

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Click here to download the full 2020 Distance Learning catalogue.