Solicitor

A lawyer who has passed the Law Society's exams and has been made an officer of the Supreme Court.

It's not as grand as it sounds but it does mean he or she is qualifed to be a legal adviser to members of the public.

Most of us will only deal with a solicitor when we are making a Will or buying/selling property.

When you are buying a home, your solicitor's job is to make sure there are no nasty surprises waiting for you (such as the new airport next door!), he or she will also arrange the purchase and/or sale,"the conveyance ".

You can do all of this yourself, make your own checks, do your own conveyancing but there are pitfalls for the unwary and you may feel more relaxed about having a bit of help during what can be a stressful process.

Your solicitor will carry out searches to check what planning permission may have been granted on the building and in the general area. They will also check the Land Registry to confirm that the seller's title to the property is good. They may also be able to negotiate for you about what fixtures and fittings are sold with the property.

Once you have instructed a solicitor to act for you or have paid them funds in advance of action, they may give you a solicitor's undertaking , this is a personal legal guarantee by the solicitor that something will be done, such as repayment of a mortgage or production of deeds.

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Last Updated: April 2008 © Moneyextra.com

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