• With the HMLR having put Chain Matrix and EFT on hold, what's going to happen to e-conveyancing?
• Now that HIPS have been with us, what's happening in the market place? Should conveyancers be trying to bring the 'Legal pack' of a HIP back in the conveyancing process?
• How has the High Street conveyancer been getting on in the present climate? Is there a further trend of work moving to the volume firms?
• Is there any sign that any of the 'Tesco Law' candidates are wanting to come into the market, now that the Legal services Act is with us, and a timetable for ABS' has been envisaged?

Do you want the chance to give your input to possible future Government policy on home buying reform?

Following on from the 10:20 presentation, this session gives delegates the opportunity to offer their own views and feedback to Owen Inskip, author of the Conservatives' Home Buying Review.

Owen is very keen to use the NCC to collate opinions from the conveyancing sector and feed this into the Conservatives’ policy making process.

• Solicitors as a trusted advisor
• Opportunities to create new referral networks around auxiliary services
• Where are the opportunities?
• Value add to justify a more robust fee or a revenue generator?
• Referral fees - the current SRA posotion
  Panel:
  Nikki Sherry, CEO, COMPLETE
  Mike Nevin, Managing Director, ALLIANCE BEST PRACTICE LTD
  Nicky Taylor, Policy Executive, SRA
  

• An alternative to reducing headcount: increase the profitability of existing staff
• Make a support staff member self-financing
• Increasing revenue from conveyancing whilst remaining competitive
• Earn additional revenue from SDLT returns completed by your support staff
• What does it cost and waht is the ROI?
• Technology as an enabler for additional revenue opportunities
• Is this the right time to invest?
  

• What is best practice in HIPs with 1st day marketing and the 3 day turnaround?
• Can solicitors and conveyancers make money from HIPs?
• Do HIPs provide conveyancers to offer any auxiliary client services?

• Can law firms make money out of HIPs and increase their conveyancing market share? 
• Competing with national HIP providers.
• The lessons we have learnt from having our own HIPs team.
• Estate agents sell HIPs for you, so how can you make it easier for agents?
• Are referral fees inevitable?
• HIP options - official or personal searches, should you offer floor plans, no completion-no fee, deferred payment, stand alone HIPs or HIPs only with conveyancing, combined HIP and conveyancing prices or discount vouchers?
• Pricing levels.
• Employing your own DEA vs. self employed assessors.
• Order pads vs. web based ordering

• Staff Costs - balancing capacity, banking hours and flexi time, flexible job descriptions and multi tasking
• Banking Costs - make the most of the banking systems on offer, electronic payments vs Cheques
• Marketing - spend to accumulate - consider the impact of marketing - press vs internet vs face to face
• IT - make the most of your IT and reporting systems to reduce staff costs and understand your business and predict future costs. Use of case management and on line integration
• Shopping around - make the most of your purchase order system, consider all costs however small - they all add up

• Strength in numbers in the face of commoditisation.
• Development and structure of the North West Solicitors Association
• Marketing strategies
• The NWSA Protocol Package
• Other benefits of co-operation

• Identifying the real threat of money laundering
• Highlight the issues around increased obligations for law firms
• Share the practice of solicitors and conveyancers nationwide
• Peer advice on best practice AML procedures
• Open discussion with advice from speakers and attendee experiences

• Creating a brand – advertising and brand awareness
• Its not what you know, its who you know – referral networks
• Comparison sites – who to get on them and how to use them
• Cross-selling other practice services to existing clients