Property law firms are on the brink of a digital revolution driven by rapid technological advances. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation are at the heart of this transformation, promising to re-shape processes and experiences across the industry. Like other sectors, property law firms must now evaluate where, when and how much to invest in digital solutions – and what AI-driven acceleration truly looks like in action.
While there’s no shortage of potential use cases, one area stands out: Conveyancing. The appetite for change is clear, with funding already flowing into the creation of conveyancing-specific digital property tech products and data digitization. And now, cutting-edge technologies like Generative AI (Gen AI) are stepping in, ready to deliver high-tech, high-touch solutions that re-imagine property transactions for good. What’s even more exciting? These technologies promise to make the process more efficient and empathetic.
The Case for Digital Transformation in Conveyancing
Buying and selling a home in the UK takes an average of six months – a timeline that frustrates everyone involved. Conveyancing tasks, in particular, are a big part of this delay, often taking four to 12 weeks. From property, local authority and environmental searches to surveys, contract exchanges and countless inquiries, the administrative workload is immense.
The impact? Homebuyers are left feeling exasperated, with 66 percent describing the process as too slow and overly complicated. 63 percent of buyers feel the property market is stressful and competitive. This comes as buyers and sellers increasingly expect the same seamless experiences they enjoy in other industries – where processes are smooth, transparent and designed with a human touch.
Conveyancers themselves aren’t immune to these challenges. They spend 43 percent of their time chasing stakeholders in transactions, up by four percentage points in 2024. And for 53 percent of professionals, the time required to complete transactions is their biggest frustration. Clearly, the system needs an overhaul.
Conveyancing Meets Gen AI: The High-Tech, High-Touch Future is Here
This is where Gen AI steps in, bringing transformative potential to an industry needing change. Its natural language capabilities can simplify and accelerate the conveyancing process in ways we have not imagined. Think seamless production, review and summarization of legal documents, and communications – tasks that previously took hours completed in moments. Gen AI can also predict and flag potential delays, giving conveyancers the insights they need to keep transactions on track. More importantly, Gen AI doesn’t just cut transaction times; it enables a more empathetic and human-centered approach to conveyancing.
As the push to transform conveyancing gains traction, more businesses are beginning to leverage AI-driven data extraction and contextualization to streamline their processes. These tools enable conveyancing firms to gather high-quality data across the value chain, seamlessly integrating structured and unstructured sources to maximize efficiency. At the same time, strong domain expertise ensures that humans stay involved where it matters most, supervising and refining Gen AI to deliver consistently reliable outcomes.
What does this mean for conveyancers? By delegating routine tasks to Gen AI, they can dedicate more time to focusing on the parts of their job that genuinely matter – interacting with clients, building relationships and handling high-value, strategic work. And for buyers and sellers? A faster, less stressful process that feels transparent and human.
Partnering to Unlock the Full Value of AI for Property Law Firms
Across the legal sector, experimentation with Gen AI is already underway. Linklaters, for example, has launched an AI sandbox to test employee-driven solutions, while Google has invested in an “AI paralegal” to manage basic legal tasks.
While these experiments are undoubtedly interesting and innovative, they still involve a degree of uncertainty. Conveyancing, however, stands apart. Its inherent complexity and time-intensive nature make it a prime candidate for Gen AI’s transformative potential. Here, Gen AI can deliver immediate, tangible benefits, turning what is often a high-stress process into one that is efficient, streamlined and profoundly human.
Many leading conveyancing firms seek partnerships to quickly and iteratively harness the power of Gen AI tools, helping them bridge the gap between ambition and execution in adopting AI. While 43 percent of firms plan to implement legal industry-focused AI technology within the next three years, only 12 percent are currently using such tools. Finding the right partner can significantly accelerate this transformation journey, enabling conveyancers to leverage cutting-edge digital tools and deliver a process that is both efficient and deeply human-centered.
Talk to our experts to explore how AI-driven solutions can unlock a faster, smarter and more human approach.