Following the news that Lloyd Davies, founder of Convey Law, has been disqualified from being regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), he has issued a personal written apology to the industry.
Davies was found guilty of misconduct and misleading students registered with training company the Conveyancing Academy.
My apologies to the conveyancing profession.
In 2019, an unscrupulous, and dishonest Conveyancing Academy Training Manger, who was subsequently found guilty of gross misconduct, compromised the CLC examinations of two of our Convey Law Directors.
In 2021 the regulator of the CLC courses, the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA), illegally suspended the Conveyancing Academy pending the outcome of their investigation into this matter. The SQA specifically told us to keep their investigation strictly confidential.
The SQA investigation took ten months to complete, when it should have only taken a number of weeks. Both of my fellow Directors and I were found not guilty on conclusion of the SQA investigation, but the SQA still terminated its training agreement with the Academy.
Two years ago, the CLC instigated proceedings against me and my fellow Licensed Conveyancer colleague for failing to tell Academy students about the ‘confidential’ SQA investigation.
My sincere apologies to the 8 students whose CLC courses were delayed as a result of this matter and our two Directors who, despite being found innocent, were so chronically impacted by the unnecessary and abusive CLC investigations against them – which also found them innocent – that they left the profession.
Due to the incompetent and draconian actions of both the SQA and the CLC only 18 of the 224 Licensed Conveyancer Apprentices that the Academy had secured funding for in 2021 have gone on to qualify.
The “CLC Training Trial” took a full two years to conclude, included an abandoned trial because the CLC had to recuse a bias judge that they had appointed, with the trial deliberately rescheduled to a date which neither my Solicitor nor Barrister could accommodate. The proceedings have cost over £350,000 in excessive legal fees, of which CLC Members will be required to pay over £100,000.
I was in no way confident of a fair trial and, in order to secure the exoneration of my colleague, I agreed to surrender my Licensed Conveyancer practising license, which I had not renewed since 2022. The CLC prosecution was neither proportionate or fair and the conduct of the CLC in relation to all of these matters requires independent investigation.
It comes as a great relief to no longer be regulated by the CLC and I wish my colleagues at Convey Law all the very best for the future.
My sincere apologies again to everyone effected by these chronic events. Thank you to my colleagues and friends for their support and love throughout some very dark and difficult times over the course of the last five years.
Lloyd Davies
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has responded to the public apology to reiterate their position on the disqualification of Lloyd Davies.
The CLC have published a statement on the facts of the case as outlined in the published decision, after Today’s Conveyancer initially published Davies’ apology yesterday.
A spokesperson told Today’s Conveyancer: “Mr Davies purported to offer the national professional qualifications leading to licence to practice as a Licensed Conveyancer through his training business after the SQA licence had been suspended, and later rescinded. This damaged the education of many trainee Licensed Conveyancers who were working hard to achieve their ambitions to enter the legal profession. It brought into disrepute the reputation of the profession of which he was a member and harmed the efforts of so many to increase the numbers of qualified Licensed Conveyancers. It is always regrettable to have to take such action, but we are satisfied with the outcome and grateful to those who stepped forward to assist.
“The Adjudication Panel that makes disciplinary and enforcement decisions based on allegations prepared by the CLC is independent in its decision-making. It has accepted the agreement reached by Mr Davies and the CLC and would have heard the allegations had the case proceeded without an agreement. The published decision sets out the agreed facts of the case.
High-profile conveyancer disqualified and ordered to pay £175,000
