The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has launched a recruitment campaign to tackle a shortage of qualified conveyancers, warning that workforce pressures could undermine efforts to speed up property transactions.
The regulator wants to attract 2,000 additional trainees who will qualify as licensed conveyancers by 2030.
Its Project 2,000 Lawyers campaign follows a sharp decline in the number of professionals authorised to carry out conveyancing work in England and Wales.
According to the CLC, the number has fallen from 13,000 in 2021 to around 10,000 today.
The regulator estimates that adding 2,000 qualified practitioners could help reduce transaction delays and fall-throughs. It claims the additional capacity could support as many as 400,000 more property transactions annually.
However, the CLC has not provided supporting calculations for that estimate in its announcement.
Government recognises workforce pressures
The campaign follows the government’s Professional and Business Services Jobs Plan, published on 19 October.
The plan identifies conveyancers as central to delivering proposed reforms to the home-buying and selling process.
It also acknowledges growing pressure on the profession as workloads and responsibilities increase.
The government has committed to working with Skills England and industry partners to develop the workforce.
Its priorities include promoting conveyancing careers, improving skills and helping firms adapt to new technology and regulatory requirements.
Faster routes into conveyancing
The CLC wants more firms to train existing employees and recruit people who might not otherwise consider a legal career.
It has introduced accelerated qualification routes for law graduates, experienced paralegals, solicitors, chartered legal executives and other eligible professionals.
Routes are also available for graduates from other disciplines and applicants without degrees.
The regulator argues that these alternatives could help firms address recruitment difficulties without requiring trainees to follow traditional legal qualification pathways.
It is also calling for a Technical Excellence College dedicated to consumer legal services, initially focusing on conveyancing and probate.
The proposed college would bring together employers, education providers, regulators and government to develop specialist training.
‘AI will not reduce the need for licensed conveyancers’
CLC chief executive Sheila Kumar said increasing the number of qualified practitioners was essential to supporting housing market reform.
“The government’s Jobs Plan confirms what the CLC has consistently argued: UK growth, housing delivery and home buying and selling reform depend on a larger, diverse and highly skilled licensed conveyancing workforce.”
She also rejected suggestions that artificial intelligence could remove the need for qualified professionals.
“Increased use of AI will not reduce the need for licensed conveyancers to advise clients, using their expertise, professional ethics and regulated status to ensure the integrity of the conveyancing process and the protection of clients and lenders.”
Kumar urged conveyancing firms to invest in training and help existing staff progress towards qualification.
“Now we are calling on conveyancing practices across England and Wales to play their part by developing talent already in their businesses and attracting motivated new staff, supporting them through to qualification and licence so that there are more conveyancers able to undertake reserved work and supervise others in every postcode.”
The CLC also wants education providers to offer its qualifications alongside other legal training routes.
The campaign aims to increase the number of licensed practitioners by 2030, although the regulator has not specified how many additional training places or participating firms it has secured.
