The number of solicitors working in residential conveyancing has fallen by more than 2,000 since 2021 as separate data shows property transactions are taking an average of 123 days to reach exchange.
The IRN UK Residential Conveyancing Market Report 2026 records 10,724 solicitors practising residential conveyancing in England and Wales in January, compared with more than 12,700 at the end of 2021.
It estimates 5,904 UK law firms are currently active in residential conveyancing.
Separate TwentyCi data for 2025 puts the average time taken for a property transaction to reach exchange at around 123 days, although the figure varies considerably between regions and individual transactions.
CAPACITY PRESSURE
Access Legal says falling practitioner numbers come as conveyancers face growing workloads and additional regulatory and compliance requirements.
Its State of the UK Conveyancing Market 2026 report draws on 15 months of HM Land Registry data from April 2025 to June 2026 alongside 1,388 verified client reviews.
The company argues technology and process improvements will become increasingly important if firms are to handle higher transaction volumes without increasing pressure on existing teams.
“Technology is the answer to growing capacity.”
Andrew Stevens (main picture, inset), General Manager at Access Legal, says: “Technology is the natural answer to growing capacity without growing headcount. Digitising traditional workflows empowers conveyancers to confidently navigate market changes and strengthen resilience without placing extra pressure on teams.
“Because law firms can’t simply ask conveyancers to work longer hours to solve the deficit challenge, technology has become the primary answer to both modernise and streamline services.
“While the likes of technology and AI cannot replace empathy or judgement, they can help in alleviating stress and ultimately contribute to preventing burnout, allowing solicitors that time back to build those relationships with clients and to continue carrying out their work.”
