The service comprises a 'preferred' panel of seven leading solicitor firms – Barnetts Solicitors, Enact, Gordons Property Lawyers, MyHomeMove, The PSM LawGroup, TLT and Wilson Nesbitt Solicitors.
These firms have been carefully selected to provide geographical coverage and sufficient scale to support the needs of Openwork. Additionally, the 'preferred’ panel offers a range of other benefits to Openwork advisers and their clients including guaranteed minimum levels of professional indemnity, no legal or search fees if purchases do not proceed and local-call rates.
All the solicitors on the Openwork ‘preferred’ panel are committed to certain service standards. For example the solicitor will send eConveyancer and the adviser confirmation of acceptance of a case within one working day, as well as update the eConveyancer system daily on case progress.
Openwork advisers also have access to the wider panel of solicitors on eConveyancer, while advisers with existing relationships can recommend their favoured firms for inclusion on the eConveyancer panel. Any inclusions will be subject to the firms meeting the prescribed standards.
The service has been integrated into Openwork’s white-labelled versions of MBL and Trigold.
Commenting on the launch, Paul Shearman, mortgage proposition director at Openwork, said: "Providing a complete solution to clients around the mortgage transaction is critical to our success and we are therefore convinced that eConveyancer will be well received by our advisers and their clients. Our advisers are looking for high quality, consistent service and competitive pricing, and we are confident that the combination of the ‘preferred’ panel and the eConveyancer system will deliver this.”
Nigel Hoath, managing director at eConveyancer, expressed delight in working with Openwork and said: “Openwork is clearly going to be one of the market leaders moving forward and we are delighted to be working closely with them to ensure their advisers can optimise the conveyancing opportunity.”
