A senior conveyancing figure disqualified by the Council for Licensed Conveyers (CLC) has issued an unusually frank apology to the property industry.

Lloyd Davies formerly boss of Welsh firm Convey Law and charity the Conveyancing Foundation, set up a training academy in 2014.

But after complaints about the academy including that it had continued to take on new candidates even though the CLC’s training regulator – the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) had suspended it – had withdrawn its support. The CLC then most recently decided to investigate and the outcome was that Davies had his CLC licence to practice revoked, as The Neg reported yesterday.

He has now released a statement in which he makes “sincere apologies again to everyone affected by these chronic events” but has not taken the outcome quietly.

Sincere apologies

Davies, who has also agreed to pay a CLC fine of £175,000, has sought to explain how the situation came about.

He says that in 2019 a training manger, who he claims was subsequently found guilty of gross misconduct, compromised the CLC examinations of two Convey Law directors.

Davies says that in 2021 the regulator of the CLC courses, the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA), incorrectly suspended the Conveyancing Academy pending the outcome of their investigation into this matter.

“The SQA investigation took ten months to complete, when it should have only taken weeks,” says Davies.

“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”.

Davies has offered his apologies to the eight 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… CLC investigations against them – which also found them innocent – that they left the profession”.

£350,000 cost of investigation

Davies has also criticised the actions of both the SQA and the CLC and in particular the latter for the length of time its investigation and hearings took to complete and the cost, which totalled some £350,000.

“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”.

CLC statement

A CLC spokesperson tells The Neg: “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.”

Main pic credit: Convey Law.