Q. I have just agreed a sale on my property and my agent has suggested using his recommended solicitor for the conveyancing. I usually give all my legal work to an old family friend of mine up north who will obviously be far more competitive on fees. The agent seems to think I would be far better to use a local solicitor, do you think I should take his advise?
A. In a word, yes I do. Having progressed sales files for over 7 years in this area now, I know how important it is to have a local solicitor. As discussed previously in this column before, the whole of the docklands is built on contaminated land. A local solicitor knows exactly what route to take to satisfy this issue without delay. Whereas solicitors with no knowledge of this area tend to take far longer carrying out the various investigations and have even, in some cases been so cautious over this issue the buyer has withdrawn from the sale. This of course being just one of the issues that arise locally. Management enquiries and planning issues on leasehold purchases are another problem, which again is rectified so much quicker by a local Solicitor. As a rule, my files with the local lawyers always tend to progress the quickest, so its definitely worth taking his advise for a speedier transaction.