Articles From the Team
A question of quality
Having started work at the tender age of 16 as an office junior in a barristers’ chambers in Manchester, one thing that I became accustomed to early in my working life was that of quality. Being teleported pretty much directly from a Salford college into Chambers was quite a shock to the system. Pigeon holes, wigs, pin stripe suits and people speaking in a way that the kids at the local college I had moved from would have thought another language at the time. And here I was on my first day in my three piece suit mixing it with what my friends called, mates of Rumple of the Old Bailey. Quality of service was something that was drummed into me in that Clerks room from day one and it sticks with me today.
Nationwide have confirmed that from the summer they will begin to require all members of their solicitor panel to be CQS accredited and with Law Society backing. Yes, the CQS accreditation is in place to ensure best practice of conveyancing firms but does that mean that firms that are not accredited do not offer a quality service, whilst firms that are accredited offer services far superior?
On the face of it, CQS has improved service standards across the industry. Firms seem to have slicker processes in place to ensure quality of service. They are continuing to look at ways through varying mediums of bettering their current service offering.
Now dependant on who you ask, not everybody will agree that being CQS accredited is the key indicator of a firms ability to provide a quality conveyancing transactional service. Whether or not Nationwide are right to be stripping their panel of firms that don’t meet their new criteria, we all look for a quality of service and purchasing a new home is an important time in a person life. It’s a time when an efficient hassle free service is the order of the day.
A lot of fee earners I have spoken to since the turn of the year have been continually bringing up the issue of quality. Sometimes it has been the quality of work they want to be dealing with but more often than not there has been an emphasis on the desire to work for a firm and within a team where quality of service is the key focus.
In the North West we are fortunate to have a number of key players within the residential property sector including leading national conveyancers and long established high street practices. Both types of firm have a desire to offer a top quality conveyancing service. There are options available for those who are looking to work in a team that offers a streamlined technologically advanced approach or that provides a more traditional and personal service. In a market with such a high level of competition for work, there are plenty of opportunities for the next star of the North West conveyancing scene to make their next move.
If you would like to hear about some of the current opportunities available please contact Nick Carroll or visit our website BCL Legal.