2021 legal forms news: Conveyancing forms TA6 & TR1’s roadmap to digitisation

In our recent webinar, ‘How to submit legal forms whilst working from home’ (watch here), we heard from Managing Director of FormEvo, Archie Courage, on what upcoming changes are in store for legal forms in 2021. Here’s his take on the roadmap to digitisation for legal forms in 2021:

So, what’s in the pipeline for conveyancing legal forms in 2021?

The imminent changes to forms for conveyancers are towards digital forms and digital signatures, starting with the TA6 Law Society property information form.

When can we electronically submit TA6 forms?

“Based on our knowledge with the legal bodies, the TA6 part 1 is expected to go digital this year, but no date for its launch has been set in stone just yet. It’s essentially the Law Society responding to the home working trend which looks to be here to stay with the working week divided between home and office,” explains Courage.

The TA6 is a Law Society transaction form for both business and residential property sales, used frequently by conveyancers to complete a purchase. Its purpose is to give the prospective buyer detailed information about the property concerned. The TA6 part 1 form is the equivalent of the home information pack of old, and approximately 30% to 40% of its content is recycled in the conventional TA6.

The TA6 part 1 will sit with the estate agent in the first instance and be completed by the consumer. Its digitisation will allow data and dialogue to pass effortlessly between consumer, agent and conveyancer.

Are TR1 forms going digital?

“Still on the conveyancing theme – yes, we’re expecting the TR1 transfer of whole registered title(s) to become digital in 2021 too, likely in the autumn time,” said Courage.

The TR1 is a Land Registry form used to transfer the whole of the property in one or more registered titles or transfer unregistered property which is to be registered for the first time.

“This ‘digital deed’ will not only be submitted digitally, but it also now requires a digital signature, officially labelled a ‘qualified electronic signature’,” explains Courage.

“One of the major advantages of digital signatures is removing the need for a witness. Along with digital submission, digital signatures will come as a welcome improvement for conveyancers and their clients, as both features will surely speed up the conveyancing process.”

How will these forms be made available?

Quill clients can easily access with Quill Forms, our 2,000-strong library of electronic forms (whose output is a PDF) and digital forms (whose data is submitted online and output is certification from the relevant agency), which resides in the Quill case management system.

Both the TR1 and the TA6 will be automatically made available to Quill software users once they’re released by the Law Society.

Why use Quill Forms?

Every form in Quill’s catalogue helps remote and busy staff save time, improve accuracy, strengthen security and enhance collaboration.

From automatic population (straight from the Quill database), clauses and covenants (avoid rekeying), document bunding (link related forms), bookmarking (navigate easily), secure sharing (via 2-factor authentication vault service), management controls (peer review), information flow and engagement between parties (dialogue tools), audit trailing (monitor versions), customised online training (with recordings to watch again), access to IT helpdesk (instant assistance) and more, the system is set up to help legal practices manage legal form submissions and progress matters from anywhere.

Interested in signing up for Quill Forms?

The cost is just £10+VAT per active user per month only when your staff create, edit or complete forms within that calendar month.*

To find out more, please head on over to www.quill.co.uk/legal-software/forms or email sales@quill.co.uk.

*Agency fees for digital submissions will still apply for the year. The Law Society copyright fee will still apply but in a pay-as-you-go format that’s a small, direct-disbursement fee.