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Conveyancer

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Do you like helping people? Do you enjoy working with property? If you want to combine your interest in the law with working in property, a career as a conveyancer could be perfect for you.

Are you interested in working in conveyancing? Explore the commercial law sector jobs available right now.

Do you want to learn more? Complete this module on introduction and opportunities in commercial law.

What do conveyancers do?

Conveyancers are legal professionals that specialise in property law. As a conveyancer, you deal with the legal side of buying and selling property. You could specialise in different areas of property law, looking at residential property, commercial property and other types of property that are on the market. Here are the responsibilities that you could have as a conveyancer:

  • Meet with clients to discuss what they need from your services.
  • Provide advice to clients about buying or selling property.
  • Research the area of property law that is relevant to your client, including recent and historic legal cases that might apply to your client.
  • Write up contracts and other legal documents for your client.

Conveyancer career path

Being a conveyancer typically involves working in a law firm or as a representative of a single company in the legal department. During your career, you’ll be exposed to many other careers in the legal sector which might interest you. If you enjoy law but want to move away from property law, you can become a solicitor or a chartered legal executive. If you want to move towards a more active career in law, you could become a barrister. Here is the career path that you could have as a conveyancer:

Entry-level

You start your career as a trainee conveyancer. This is an educational role where you’re taught the skills and gain the experience that you need for your career. Your work is supervised by a senior member of the team and you shadow your supervisor to learn the type of work that you do when you officially qualify. You do more administrative tasks like organising meetings, drafting and proofing documents and discussing requirements with estate agents, lawyers and clients.

Career progression

You progress to a conveyancer once you’ve gained experience and demonstrated your skills. This role gives you more scope for working on your own rather than under the watch of a supervisor. You work with clients, dealing with your own cases. This means writing your own documents, organising and taking meetings and overseeing the buying and selling processes. 

Future career

After years of experience and building up a great track record, you become a senior conveyancer. In this role, you work on the biggest or most complex cases as you have the most experience in the department. Part of your role is training new colleagues that join the department. This means making sure they’re satisfied and getting the assistance that they need to do their jobs well.

Do you want to know more? Complete this module to learn about specialisms in commercial law.

Conveyancer salaries

Working in conveyancing gives you the opportunity to work your way up in a law firm. The salary that you earn throughout your working life depends on the level you’re working at, your experience, the type of firm and the location of the firm. Here are the salaries that you could earn as a conveyancer:

  • In an entry-level trainee conveyancer position, you earn an average of £17,000 per year, ranging between £14,000 and £27,000 per year.
  • As a conveyancer, you earn between £20,000 and £40,000 per year.
  • As a senior conveyancer, you earn between £30,000 and £70,000 per year.

Qualifications and training

Working in the legal sector typically has specific educational requirements. Here are the qualifications and training that you need to work as a conveyancer:

Education

Most conveyancers have a diploma in conveyancing law and practice. This diploma teaches you the relevant skills and necessary background and contextual information that you need to do the job. Conveyancing is a great option if you’re interested in a career in the law but don’t want to go down the university degree path. A level 4 diploma in conveyancing is accessible to everyone including students leaving school with A-Levels. If you’re interested in completing a diploma in conveyancing, you can explore the training providers recommended by the Council for Licenced Conveyancers.

Another option is completing an apprenticeship. In an apprenticeship, you learn about the requirements of the job through doing the job itself. You’re taught by conveyancers currently working in the sector which gives you up to date, relevant experience. Some apprenticeships include a formal education element where you complete a diploma whilst working in the role. You can explore the apprenticeships available to you with the government’s apprenticeship search tool.

Work experience

Having some work experience is a great way to get your application noticed by a hiring manager. One way of getting work experience is through an internship. During an internship you work in a law firm assisting conveyancers with their tasks. This teaches you the skills you need to do the job and gives you practical experience of working in a firm. Many internships are set up to accommodate your educational needs meaning they’re often throughout the summer holidays. If you’re interested in doing an internship, you can explore the commercial law sector internship opportunities available now.

If you want to get a head start, complete this module on building your commercial awareness in the law sector.

Conveyancer skills

You need a combination of skills to succeed as a conveyancer. Having examples of where you have gained these skills and how you’ve demonstrated them throughout your working life or in your education which you use in your application helps you stand out from other candidates. If you need some inspiration to boost your applications, complete this module on mastering application writing. Here are the skills that you need to work as a conveyancer:

Hard skills

  • Knowledge of property law. You need to have a great working knowledge of property law which you can apply to your clients’ cases.

Soft skills

  • Attention to detail. You need great attention to detail to be a conveyancer. This helps you look in great detail at the contracts you’re writing and reading, as well as explore the existing cases in the field and make sure there are no issues with contracts that your clients are signing.
  • Maths. You should have some maths and financial sector knowledge. This is so you fully understand the conveyancing process including the mortgages your clients sign.
  • Communication. Being able to communicate well is an important part of being a conveyancer. You need to communicate with many people throughout your working week. This includes giving your clients advice, speaking with estate agents and liaising with your colleagues.

If you want to brush up on your communication skills ready for your career as a conveyancer, complete this module on developing your presentation skills.

Pros and cons of being a conveyancer

There are positive and negative parts of any career and conveyance is no exception. Understanding the good and bad aspects of the job means you and determine if it’s the right career path for you. Here are the pros and cons of being a conveyancer:

Pros

  • It’s a safe job with many positions available which gives you some job security for your career.
  • In senior positions, you could earn a good salary.
  • You get to work with lots of different clients meaning you’re working on new and interesting projects.

Cons

  • You start with a low salary for the first few years of your career.
  • You have lots of clients to work with at the same time.
  • It can be a stressful job with a big workload at certain times.
  • Being a conveyancer includes repetitive work which could become tedious after many years.
  • Your clients may back out of a deal during the process which can be frustrating.

Conveyancer work-life balance

As a conveyancer, your working life is within standard office hours of 9am to 5pm on Monday to Friday. You might have extra work which increases your working day around big deadlines or when you’re working with many clients but generally speaking you can stick to typical working weeks. This means that maintaining a good work-life balance is possible in this career path. 

Typical employers

Here are the typical employers that you could work for as a conveyancer:

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