Conveyancer Client Chasing Software: What to Look For and How It Works

Conveyancing firms spend a significant amount of time chasing clients, the other side and third parties for documents, signatures and responses. Most of that chasing is done by email or phone, manually, one case at a time. Software designed for this job changes the picture considerably.

The chasing problem in conveyancing

A residential conveyancing transaction involves a large number of parties: buyer, seller, buyer's solicitor, seller's solicitor, lender, mortgage broker, estate agent, managing agent (for leasehold) and sometimes a giftor or guarantor. Each party owes something to the transaction at different stages. The conveyancer is typically the one responsible for keeping all of it moving.

On a caseload of thirty to fifty active matters, chasing every outstanding item from every party is a significant admin burden. Paralegals and fee earners routinely spend hours each week on follow-up that produces no billable output and no forward progress on the file.

What conveyancers most commonly need to chase

• Client ID and proof of address for anti-money laundering compliance
• Proof of funds and source of funds declarations
• Signed client care letters and terms of engagement
• Replies to property information forms (TA6, TA10) from sellers
• Search results from local authority, water and drainage, environmental and mining searches
• Mortgage offer and any conditions attached
• Signed mortgage deed once the offer is received
• Replies to requisitions on title from the other side
• Buildings insurance details ahead of exchange
• Completion information from the other side

What most practice management systems do not do

Most legal practice management software (PMS) manages the matter file well: it records correspondence, stores documents, handles billing and maintains the case timeline. What most PMS platforms do not do is send automatic reminders to clients and third parties on a schedule.

The task or reminder features in PMS tools create notifications for the fee earner, not emails to the client. The fee earner still has to see the task, write the email and send it. The software handles the prompt but not the action. Dedicated chasing software does both.

What to look for in conveyancer chasing software

Multi-party support

Conveyancing involves many parties, not just the client. The software needs to let you add the buyer, seller, mortgage broker, lender, estate agent and the other side's solicitor as separate chase contacts, each with their own list of outstanding items and their own reminder schedule. Sending a client reminder that mentions items owed by the seller's solicitor is confusing and unprofessional.

Per-item tracking

Reminders should list only the specific items still outstanding for that party. As items arrive and are marked received, they drop off the reminder automatically. A client who sent their ID two weeks ago should not receive a reminder that includes ID on the list.

Automatic escalation

The wording of reminders should change over time. An initial request is neutral and informational. A second reminder is a polite follow-up. A third or fourth is firmer and conveys urgency. Software that sends identical emails each time is less effective than one that escalates the tone automatically.

Audit trail

Every reminder sent should be logged with the date, time and exact wording. For SRA compliance and client care purposes, being able to demonstrate that a client was contacted multiple times is valuable. This audit trail should be automatic, not dependent on manually saving emails to the file.

How CaseCaddy works for conveyancers

CaseCaddy was built for exactly this use case. You create a case for each matter and add each party as a chase contact: buyer, seller's solicitor, mortgage broker, lender or any other party. You add the items outstanding from each party. CaseCaddy sends the first request immediately and follows up on the schedule you set, with wording that escalates from polite to firm across the reminder sequence.

When an item arrives, you mark it received and it stops being chased. When all items for a party are received, CaseCaddy sends them a confirmation email automatically. When no response is received after the full reminder sequence, you receive an alert so you know which matters need direct intervention.

CaseCaddy sits alongside your existing PMS rather than replacing it. The PMS handles the matter file and billing. CaseCaddy handles the chasing and document follow-up.

The time saving in practice

A conveyancing firm with a paralegal handling thirty active matters can spend three to five hours per week on chasing emails alone. With automated chasing in place, that drops to under thirty minutes: checking the dashboard for any cases needing direct attention and marking items received as they come in. The reminders run in the background without any manual action required.