FAQs for the Adam & Company International Conveyancing Panel from members of the public
I would like to know the reason why all solicitors are not on the Adam & Company International Conveyancing panel?
As unjust as it may seem for Adam & Company International to restrict who can act for them from the public’s or solicitor’s point of view, the other side of the coin is that the lenders are becoming ever more anxious and feel the necessary need to protect them from mortgage fraud and other illegal activities. As a result of this concern Adam & Company International have restricted their panel of approved conveyancing lawyers to a manageable size. The Adam & Company International lawyer panel is not the most exclusive of all lenders
can you help? My solicitor is advising me that he is legally obliged to conduct a Local Authority search because the firm are on the Adam & Company International conveyancing panel. The searches cost a lot of money. Can this be avoided?
You have limited options available to you. Given that you are taking out a loan with Adam & Company International your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of Adam & Company International’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated Adam & Company International. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
I require the services of a Adam & Company International panel solicitor in Belfast. Could you help me?
Unfortunately it’s not apparent why you need a Adam & Company International panel solicitor but in any event, if you can not find one on our search tool you will need to speak directly to Adam & Company International to find out which solicitors in Adam & Company International are on their panel. If you do find such a firm not listed please direct them to our site to list. At a fee of one pound per month it is not expensive to register on the site
Please explain the implications if my solicitor is expelled from the Adam & Company International Solicitor panel before the completion date?
The first thing to point out is that, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have ti instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by the regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
Is it the case that all conveyancing solicitors on the Adam & Company International conveyancing panel work on a no sale no fee basis?
There is generally no requirements by lenders for their firms to operate on a no-sale-no-fee basis. There a small number of lenders who operate a very restricted conveyancing panel managed by a third party company (often termed in the industry as a ‘gatekeeper’). That third party may impose certain conditions such as non-sale-no fee on the panel firms. If you require this as a condition of your conveyancing then you should check with the conveyancing firm that this is part of their package
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment. My financial adviser suggested a solicitor I paid an upfront payment of 175. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Adam & Company International conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Adam & Company International panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
Adam & Company International have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on house has been accepted, now what?
The estate agent will want to know who your solicitors are (make sure these solicitors are on the lenders panel). Call up Adam & Company International or your broker and complete any relevant paperwork. Adam & Company International will tell you what documents they want. Adam & Company International will instruct a valuer. The valuer will get in touch with the estate agent or seller to book an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about week to get a mortgage offer. Adam & Company International will issue the offer to you and your lawyer. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing.