Compliance, risk management, and regulatory tasks now take roughly 30% to 40% more time than a decade ago, while clients expect more frequent updates, faster transactions, and greater accessibility.

RG Law argues that growing workloads, increased regulation, and pressure to complete transactions quickly and cheaply are contributing to burnout and attrition among conveyancers.

Conveyancers report being under pressure from multiple directions, with clients, estate agents, and referrers driving timelines, which can increase risk if work is rushed.

RG Law argues the industry’s focus on price and volume is undermining professional pride and hindering retention of experienced conveyancers, with some professionals moving to non-client-facing roles or self-employed consultancy.

To retain talent and attract new entrants, the firm recommends competitive salaries, meaningful career progression, and recognition for high performance.

There is a call for clearer, realistic client communication about timescales and factors affecting timelines, to improve confidence in the process and manage expectations.

The number of practicing conveyancers in England and Wales fell 15% from about 13,000 in September 2021 to 11,140 in January 2025, highlighting a need to make the profession more sustainable and respected.

Suggested remedies include workload monitoring, wellbeing initiatives, ongoing professional development, and technology to reduce administrative burden, such as customer-service support and online tracking systems.

Many talented conveyancers are leaving the field or shifting to roles in auditing, training, compliance, or consultancy due to workload and expectations.