Banner Jones Solicitors with offices in Sheffield, Mansfield and Chesterfield has embarked on an ambitious recruitment drive amidst a record number of residential property transactions in the 12-months ending May 2021.

The Banner Jones Conveyancing team, who won the prestigious Residential Property category of the Yorkshire Legal Awards last year, completed in excess of 5500 transactions on behalf of clients during the period, the figure marking a 38% increase on the previous 12months.

Fuelled in part by the housing market surge which was encouraged by the government’s stamp duty holiday, the firm says it has managed ‘exceedingly well’ with the increase in demand thanks to considerable investment in its IT infrastructure and the introduction of its ‘Flying Start’ portal.

As a result of the influx of the conveyancing work the firm is in the middle of recruiting seven new team members to help support ambitious growth plans.

Mark Bilton, Banner Jones’ Head of Residential Property in Mansfield, said: “We, like most conveyancers, really welcomed the government’s introduction of a temporary stamp duty holiday that would help to ‘get the market moving again’ after the pandemic brought it to a sudden halt.

“However, no one could have predicted the sheer volume of transactions that would follow, as homebuyers looked to move onto and up the property ladder to take advantage of the savings, as well as accommodate a more permanent move to home working.

“In recent years we have invested considerably in our IT infrastructure, which forms part of our ongoing commitment to delivering legal services in a convenient and customer focused way, and thankfully due to this we were very well equipped to manage the increased volume and now we’re looking forward to further expanding our dedicated conveyancing team.”

“As part of this we were delighted to introduce our new ‘Flying Start’ portal during 2020, which enables clients to agree their quote, sign the T&Cs, complete an online ID check and fill out their initial paperwork within minutes.

The firm’s impressive online capacity saw them complete well over 5500 transactions between 1st June 2020 and 31st May 2021, helping Brits across the country move home.

Mark added: “Previously, house hunters were required to meet with their solicitor face-to-face, yet the modern technology combined with the unique circumstances presented by Covid-19 revolutionised normal practice for us.”

“While the country begins to return to normal, we’re confident that this new and improved convenient service offering will continue to benefit our customers. Although needless to say if anyone wants to see us in person, they are also welcome to do so.”