Eden Conveyancing: a fully digital law firm

Eden Conveyancing was the highest-ranking firm in the survey scoring a phenomenal 87% in the Digital Conveyancing Maturity Index. InfoTrack spoke with Eden’s CEO Bruce Griffin and Head of Legal Practice Samantha Strong to find out more about how and why they scored so highly.

First a bit of background

Eden Conveyancing set up as an  in 2021. They’re based in Bristol, are licensed by the CLC, and are SLC Members. They started from scratch with a digital-first vision. Bruce’s digital credentials include a degree in Computer Science as well as also running a business providing digital transformation services. Samantha has 18 years' experience as a solicitor specialising in commercial and residential property, including 6 years as a partner at Rubin Lewis O’Brien in Cwmbran prior to founding Eden. In their own words:

“Our mission is to transform the conveyancing industry so that buying or selling a home is a smooth and enjoyable experience”.

How did they score so highly?

Eden significantly outperformed the average scores of other firms in every area. However, there were three areas in which they were particularly strong. They have advanced digital tools for Client Onboarding including Digital ID Checks, Client Questionnaires and TA Forms. They have built their own client portal called MyEden to communicate with clients, and they use Open Banking to help verify client’s funds.  

In Pre-completion, which the research highlighted as the least digitally mature part of the conveyancing process, they scored highly for integrations with Lender Panels, using digital dashboards to manage key dates and deadlines, and for using automation software to create Reports on Title that includes data feeds  from external sources such as HM Land Registry.

Lastly, Eden use Case Management Software and eSignatures to support the entire conveyancing process. Matter data is populated from their CMS directly into third-party platforms to order services and submit forms. Meanwhile Search Results, Title Plans, Onboarding Documents, and Disbursements are uploaded straight back into their CMS to improve efficiency and accuracy. 

Eden use eSignatures from start to finish, beginning with client care letters and TA Forms, then moving on to Contracts of Sale and Reports on Title, and finally applying them to post-completion forms and Land Registry Deeds.

Eden’s people

As pioneers in adopting digital conveyancing technology one challenge for Eden has been finding property lawyers that share their vision for a digitally enabled process that clients will love. However, those who have joined them share in the benefits of a digital-first approach. Technology has a big impact on employees, after all it enables fewer people to do more, but at Eden it is used to help manage sensible workloads and foster better collaboration.

Collaboration

Collaboration in conveyancing is a strong theme for Eden’s founders. They talk about a triumvirate  of stakeholders: Property Lawyers, Estate Agents and Customers. They must work together, and listen to each other, to be successful. Communication between these partners is also powered by technology as you’d no doubt expect. Eden has built systems that bring greater transparency to the process and provides Estate Agents and clients with regular updates.

Technology partners

As well as building their own technology, Eden partners with a small number of specialist software providers to create the technology ecosystem they need. They’re happy to admit that finding and integrating with the right partners hasn’t always been easy. Bruce comments:

“The best partners are essential, so you need to choose them carefully and spend extra time testing before you integrate”.

The last word

When we asked what advice Samantha and Bruce had for other conveyancing firms, they were typically humble, stating that they never get over-confident and that there are no silver bullets. They simply refer back to their goal of using technology to enable a “lovely and enjoyable” conveyancing process for all stakeholders, and that listening to their customers and partners, and then acting quickly is at the heart of their approach.