Conveyancing provider LMS has announced a partnership with software developer Xperate in a bid to widen the accessibility of its technology.

The deal will see Xperate deliver the LMS API range to law firms through their CMS platforms regardless of whether or not they are part of the existing LMS network.

LMS said the partnership is designed to tackle the problem of technology accessibility in the conveyancing industry. As an alternative to a firm having to invest in the implementation of a series of APIs to gain access to digital tools such as LMS SecureLink, Charge Registrations and Confirmly, Xperate has built a series of ‘connectors’ that allow each firm to access the technologies through their own CMS provider, with the necessary API development carried out behind the scenes between LMS and Xperate.

According to LMS, this can help to solve the technology access issues smaller law firms sometimes face as they will no longer need to depend on external suppliers to deliver digital transformation, or invest heavily in their own tech development in order to use LMS services.

Travis Scholes, commercial director at LMS, commented: “Larger law firms can more easily take advantage of such tech because they either have more money to invest or more in-house expertise to develop their own. Small firms, on the other hand, are completely reliant on incumbent suppliers to deliver change and they often need to move faster than some of those suppliers are prepared to go if they’re going to see return on investment.

“Addressing this inequality is vital if we are going to drive the whole industry towards a tech-enabled, efficient and reliable future. It is up to the third-party tech providers to collaborate and make this happen and our partnership with Xperate shows our commitment to improve access to digital and efficient technologies for all law firms, big or small.”

Mark Garnish, chief operating officer at Xperate, said the deal was testament to the “huge impact” collaboration can have in driving the industry forward.

“The tech already exists to transform the conveyancing industry, but driving ease of use and better accessibility is the key to widespread adoption,” he added. “Only when the whole industry has the ability to implement tech will we see the results we know it can deliver, so working with LMS to bring such an innovative solution to the market is both exciting and rewarding.”