As a non-practising solicitor and workflow team manager, Marie Harrison-Stradling has experience of introducing legal technology from both a legal and a technology viewpoint. And with practical experience in both conveyancing and private client work, she explores the similarities between the two and explains why private client can learn a lot from conveyancing when it comes to tech adoption.
Private client law and conveyancing both depend on accuracy, professional judgement and careful client communication. However, when it comes to the use of technology to aid practice, their paths diverge.
Working closely with legal professionals and technology teams has given me a front-row seat to the opportunities, challenges and misconceptions that often emerge when firms consider adopting new technology.
So, given that these two practice areas share so many common challenges at their core, what could private client practitioners learn from conveyancing’s technology journey?
Private client’s technology gap reflects broader challenges than technology alone
It is often assumed that private client adopts workflow management, automation and technology at a slower pace than conveyancing. While there might be some truth in that, it is important to recognise how rapidly technology adoption has accelerated within the conveyancing industry over recent years.
Landmark’s recent market research report found that technology is no longer confined to routine administrative tasks in the conveyancing process. Digital workflows and automation are helping firms streamline operations, reduce duplication of effort and manage increasing volumes of work.
The research also found that 80% of conveyancers believe technology helps them maintain or improve their competitive edge, showing how digitalisation and automation can support both growth and client service.
Different practices create different challenges
Private client and probate matters often involve multiple workstreams progressing simultaneously, long-running cases, changing circumstances and a significant degree of client support alongside legal advice. In my experience, probate matters, for example, tend to involve numerous tasks actionable at the same time.
Conveyancing, on the other hand, follows a linear process. Although still complex, transactions move through a recognised sequence of stages, with clear milestones, deadlines and an eventual completion. Whilst every matter presents its own challenges and there are often multiple properties in a chain, there is often a degree of consistency in how work progresses and how outcomes are measured.
These differences may explain why private client practice has historically been slower to adapt workflow technology and automation. From valuing assets and establishing liabilities to managing tax considerations and communicating with beneficiaries, and with new information often emerging throughout the process, matters can remain open for months or years and require ongoing adaptation from practitioners.
There is also a significant human dimension. Clients are often navigating bereavement, complex family relationships, or difficult decisions about the future. Success is often measured by the quality of advice, reassurance and support provided rather than the speed of the case.
This combination of complexity, professional judgement and client care has likely shaped a more cautious approach to technology adoption within private client practice.
Reducing administrative burden while maintaining oversight
Despite their differences, conveyancing and private client legal professionals share common challenges: growing workloads, increasing compliance demands and rising client expectations, to name a few.
In private client practice, those pressures are often amplified by the nature of long-running matters. A single estate can generate extensive correspondence, information requests, updates and follow-up activity across multiple organisations, all of which must be tracked and managed over time.
As a result, practitioners can find themselves spending significant amounts of their day coordinating processes rather than applying their expertise.
This is where technology has the greatest potential to add value. Landmark’s research found that, in 2025, 83% of conveyancers (up from 74% in 2024) believe that digitalisation has provided great support in improving risk management through automation, demonstrating how readily technology has become embedded within everyday conveyancing practice.
For private client teams, technology can similarly help reduce duplication, automate routine processes and create a single source of truth for matter and client data, helping firms and teams manage complex matters with greater visibility, consistency and control.
Adopting technology – where to start
Overall, technology is most effective when it is designed around the specific needs, governance requirements and ways of working of a particular practice area. Successful adoption often begins with a clear understanding of the firm’s objectives rather than the technology itself.
When evaluating potential solutions, firms should look beyond product features and assess whether the technology supports the way their team delivers legal services, how it can adapt as the practice evolves, and what expertise, training and ongoing support will be available throughout implementation. Many of these considerations are explored in greater detail in Ochresoft’s guide, A practical guide for private client partners: From technology overwhelm to confident adoption, which outlines a risk-led approach to technology adoption for private client teams.
Taking the time to assess these factors can help firms make informed decisions and adopt technology in a way that complements both their processes and the client experience.
Striking the right balance between technology and expertise
Technology does not remove the need for professional judgement. Instead, its value lies in supporting the processes that sit around that expertise, allowing practitioners to focus on client advice, risk management and delivering the reassurance that clients need during significant life events.
Both conveyancing and private client are navigating rising client expectations, increasing regulatory demands and growing operational complexity. The lesson is not that one discipline should follow the other, but that there is value in learning from different approaches to managing similar challenges.
As both areas continue to evolve, perhaps the most interesting question is not what sets them apart, but what they can learn from each other.
About the author
Marie Harrison-Stradling joined Ochresoft in November 2013 as a legal trainer and is now workflow team manager. A non-practising solicitor with experience in conveyancing, family law and private client practice, she brings a practitioner’s perspective to the development of legal workflows. Marie is responsible for monitoring changes in legislation, regulation and legal procedure, ensuring Ochresoft’s workflow solutions remain accurate, compliant and aligned with best practice. She works closely with internal teams to translate complex legal requirements into practical solutions that support law firms, while also providing specialist guidance on private client workflow queries for colleagues and customers.
