Get to know our legal experts: Nicola Bennell

Title: Solicitor / Head of Conveyancing Department

Area of Law: Residential Conveyancing

Specialisms: Residential sales, purchases, re-mortgages, transfer of equity, right to buy and shared ownership schemes

Why did you decide on a career in law?

I was working as Fraud Investigator for a high street lender in a mortgage fraud case.  During my time on that case, I regularly dealt with a large regional law firm in Newcastle.  They got to know me so well, they asked me to join their team.

Why did you choose Conveyancing?

On joining that law firm, I trained under the Senior Partner who specialised in conveyancing and I soon fell in love with this area of law.

I went on to qualify as a Solicitor in 2004 and joined Richard Reed Solicitors in September 2017.

What does your role involve?

I deal with all day to day aspects of residential conveyancing and really enjoy the thrill of working to strict completion deadlines.

I take a pro-active approach to my work and pride myself on building excellent relationships with my clients.

I also manage and mentor a team of experienced Conveyancers and support staff.

What would you reform or change about your area of law?

One of the changes I’d like to see is Leaseholders no longer being able to charge purchasers or sellers extortionate admin fees when it comes to  requesting important Leasehold documentation.

When dealing with a purchase or sale (where a property is leasehold), we need to request a Leasehold Pack so that we are aware of any service charges, ground rent, asbestos reports etc.  These details can be easily pulled together by the Leaseholder and there’s no need for the high fees charged for doing so.

What is your most rewarding case?

There’s no one case that stands out but there is nothing better than helping a client purchase their dream home.  Going through the conveyancing process can be quite daunting and stressful for some people but, through regular client feedback received by us here at Richard Reed, I am assured that myself and my team can ease any pressures felt and  even make the process fun.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself…

I appeared on Ant & Dec Saturday Night Takeaway whilst on holiday in Florida and also on the Wheel of Fortune.

To speak with Nicola or another member of our conveyancing team, call us today on 0191 567 0465 or email us at: [email protected]

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