The Intermediary – September 2026 - Flipbook - Page 103
T E C H N O L O GY
Opinion
Digital where
it matters
H
aving worked in
conveyancing for
many years, I’ve seen
plenty of innovations
come and go.
But the
fundamentals of a great client
experience haven’t changed. Clients
want the process to be simple, clear
and fast. They want to know what’s
happening, to have confidence that
their transaction is moving forward,
and to trust those guiding them
through the process.
In this context, technology is an
enabler to a beer client experience,
not the end goal.
Across the sector, we’re seeing
significant investment in technology.
Digital identity solutions, electronic
signatures, AI-powered tools,
improved case management systems
and beer integration between
different parts of the home-moving
process are all helping to modernise
the way transactions are managed.
For too long, conveyancers
have spent valuable time chasing
information, manually updating files
and managing purely administrative
processes. The more we reduce that
administrative drag, the more time
lawyers have for the work which
requires legal expertise.
Artificial intelligence (AI) can help
review information, summarise
documents and support decisionmaking. Digital workflows can reduce
duplication and improve consistency.
Clients can sign documents
electronically rather than waiting for
paperwork to arrive through the post.
Yet despite the clear benefits,
adoption across the industry remains
uneven. Technology is sometimes
viewed as a threat to the traditional
role of the conveyancer, when in
reality the opposite is true.
The role of the conveyancer doesn’t
become less important in a digital
world. If anything, it becomes
more important.
That’s where the sector conversation
around technology sometimes misses
the point. Too much of the discussion
around AI focuses on what it might
replace. The more interesting question
is what it could enable.
KATRINA LAMONT
is director of legal operations
at Eden Conveyancing
Visibility and transparency
People manage their banking from
their phone, track deliveries in
real-time and access information
whenever it suits them. It’s entirely
reasonable to expect similar
visibility and convenience from a
conveyancing transaction.
Used properly, technology provides
improved clarity, transparency, and
communication for the consumer,
while simultaneously helping legal
professionals work more efficiently.
This is one of the reasons I’m
encouraged by the direction of travel
we’re seeing across both the property
sector and the Government’s home
buying and selling reform agenda.
There is growing recognition that
digitalisation, beer information
sharing and the responsible adoption
of AI have an important role to play.
The roadmap for reform specifically
recognises the opportunity for
AI to support routine tasks while
maintaining the importance of
human judgement. This, alongside
initiatives such as the AI Growth Lab,
supports accelerated but responsible
innovation within legal services.
However, while there are
encouraging signs of collaboration
across the industry, we should be
honest that progress is still not as
consistent as it needs to be. There
remains too much resistance to change
in parts of the sector, particularly
when it comes to challenging
processes that have stayed the same
for years.
The firms that will shape the future
of conveyancing won’t simply be those
with the deepest pockets or the most
impressive technology stack. They’ll
be the firms that use technology with
purpose: making the client experience
simpler, clearer and faster, while
giving lawyers more time to focus
on expert advice and meaningful
client support.
As a sector, we have a real
opportunity to challenge the
perception that moving home has
to be slow, stressful and difficult
to navigate. The tools, data and
technology increasingly exist to do
things differently. What maers now
is how we choose to use them.
At Eden Conveyancing, our
approach has always been clear:
technology should enhance the
experience, not replace the people
behind it. We’ve invested heavily
in technology that supports both
our clients and our lawyers, from
real-time case visibility and secure
communication through to AIpowered tools that assist our teams.
Having our own case management
system also means we can respond to
feedback and make improvements
in real time, ensuring that
technology continues to enhance the
client journey.
The future of conveyancing isn’t
something that’s happening to us. It’s
something we’re building.
If we get the balance right,
combining innovation with expertise,
we can create a home-moving
experience that is more transparent,
more efficient and ultimately beer
for consumers, brokers, lenders and
legal professionals alike.
For an industry that has talked
about modernisation for years,
now is the time to turn that
ambition into reality. That’s a future
worth embracing. ●
September 2026 | The Intermediary
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