On 8/14/2010 1. They must be “fixed fee”. In other words you pay what’s on the quote and not a penny more. NEVER hire a Conveyancing Solicitor on a “per hour” basis! 2. The quote has to be “complete”. It must include all expenses, search costs, registration fees and VAT. There are too many dodgy solicitors who offer “cheap as chips” quotes that sucker people in … until they get the final bill, which is for hundreds more than they expected. 3. Look for “no completion – no fee” solicitors – now becoming widespread in the UK. This way if your transaction falls through you don’t pay the legal fees (though you’ll still have to pay any expenses that have already been incurred on your behalf). 4. Finally, make sure they’re a conveyancing specialist (or have a specialist conveyancing department). This may sound “so obvious”, but it’s worth mentioning because if you do get a solicitor who…

Dual representation—Part 3      (a)     the transferor and transferee or the grantor and grantee (in this Part referred to as both parties)—      (i)     are related to one another by blood, adoption or marriage; or      (ii)     are domestic partners one of the other; or     (iii)    are bodies corporate that are related to each other for the purposes of the Corporations Act 2001 of the Commonwealth; or     (iv)    are a proprietary company and a person who is a shareholder or director of that company; or      (v)     are registered as the proprietors of the relevant land as tenants in common or joint tenants with one another; or     (vi)    carry on business in partnership with each other; or      (b)     the conveyancer has obtained from both parties a written acknowledgment, or general authority, in the form set out in Schedule 4.      (2)     However, a conveyancer is not authorised to act for both parties to a transaction if the conveyancer is subject to a conflict of interest in relation to the transaction. 18- Conveyancer must cease to act if conflict of interest arises      (1)     If, in the course of acting for both parties to a transaction, the conveyancer becomes subject to a conflict of interest in relation to the transaction, the conveyancer must notify both parties in writing and cease to act in the matter. Penalty: Division 7 fine.      (2)     However, if both parties agree in writing that the conveyancer may continue to act for one of them, the conveyancer may continue to act for that party. 19 – Meaning of conflict of interest      For the purposes of this Part, a conveyancer is subject to a conflict of interest in relation to a transaction if—      (a)     the duties owed by the conveyancer to one party to the transaction conflict with the duties owed by the conveyancer to the other party to the transaction (for example, if the conveyancer is obliged, in fulfilling his or her duty to one party, to withhold information or advice from the other party that, by reason of the conveyancer’s duty to that other party, he or she should not withhold); or      (b)     the conveyancer has a personal or pecuniary interest in the transaction arising otherwise than from the conveyancer’s services as a conveyancer in respect of the transaction. 25.9.2008—Land and Business (Sale and Conveyancing Sydney) Regulations 1995 Dual representation—Part