The legal domain covers multiple specialist occupations. One of them is conveyancing. Although this legal profession is not as lucrative as a high court barrister, it is still an enriching and fulfilling career.
A conveyancer prepares the documents for the purchase and sale of real estate. They must thoroughly understand strata administration, property management, surveying, land division, land law, taxation, insurance, contracts, and investment.
If you are interested in this legal career, keep reading this blog and learn how to become a licensed conveyancer in Australia, including the online courses, degrees, qualifications, license requirements, what they do, how long it takes, the salary, and more.
1. What Does A Conveyancer Do?
As a conveyancer, your job will be to transfer a property from one person to another and look after the paperwork for a smooth property transfer. Property purchase means an investment of money, which is why it involves legal work.
As a conveyancer, the professional will have to take care of two critical things- completion of legal work and transfer of property, as well as ensuring a smooth exchange of contracts from one person to another.
A conveyancer will take care of a wide range of duties. For example, they will help the client understand the entire process, take the seller and buyer's instructions, and arrange legal documents. They will also pay fees on behalf of the client, such as fees and Stamp Duty.
One must take a systematic and analytical approach to carry out conveyancing duties. This is why there are conveyancing courses for lawyers where students receive rigorous training. Moreover, a conveyancer must be licensed to carry out their service by CLC Council for Licensed Conveyancers.
2. Major Duties and Tasks of a Conveyancer
A conveyancer will have multiple duties and tasks to take care of. They are responsible for providing information and advice about properties. You will also deal with client relationship management, finance, and documentation updates.
Here are the duties and tasks of a conveyancer:
Consult with clients and advise them about selling and buying properties.
Do title searches and connect with water authorities, local councils, and government departments to make different enquiries.
Check the ownership details and confirm them by conducting multiple searches.
The conveyancer will have to maintain detailed records. This can be on computer-based systems or paper documents.
The conveyancer must keep the clients up-to-date via face-to-face meetings, email, mail, and phone.
The conveyancer will take up duties for advising and preparing mortgage documentation.
Do local authority searches and analyse the results.
Attend settlement procedures and contract exchange.
Take part in the financial aspects of the property dealing, for example, in sales and purchases.
Transfer the deposit to the seller's conveyancer.
Confirm who owns the property legally.
3. What Are The Steps To Become A Conveyancer In Australia?
Depending on your state, you will likely have to get some formal training in conveyancing to work as a conveyancer in Australia. Therefore, check your state's regulatory requirements before applying for a conveyancer course. Also, do complete an accredited course.
Below are the steps you need to follow to become a conveyancer in Australia:
Step 1: Complete an Accredited Conveyancer Course
The first thing that you will need is a law degree. If not, you will need to look for conveyancing courses for lawyers in Australia. Those interested in conveyancing often apply for an Advanced Diploma of conveyancing or a diploma of conveyancing. We recommend checking the advanced conveyancing course offered by TAFE.
The course will teach you the specialist skills required to work as a conveyancer. The subjects you will study in the advanced diploma of conveyancing course are financial transactions, legal documents, contract law, and advice. Upon completing this course, you will become eligible for registration as a licensed conveyancer.
Even if you have a recognised law degree, it is better to do an accredited conveyancing course because that will prepare you well for the conveyancer role.
Step 2: Apply For A License
After completing the course, the next thing to do is apply for a conveyancer's license. Please note that besides ACT and QLD, you will need a conveyancing license to practice as a conveyancer.
In ACT and QLD, you can practice conveyancing if you already operate within a law firm or have a law degree.
Step 3: Join The Australian Institute of Conveyancers
We recommend joining the Australian Institute of Conveyancers to hone your skills further. The Australian Institute of Conveyancers offers professional training, education, and programs that will be helpful for your conveyancer career.
You must follow these three steps to pursue a conveyancer career in Australia. Please note that there could be additional requirements based on your state. Below, you will find the conveyancer's license requirement for a few regions in Australia. Keep reading.
4. How to Become A Conveyancer In NSW?
To work as a conveyancer in NSW, you must have a conveyancer license. For that, you must be 18 years and over, be fit to have a licence, complete the required education qualification, have not been disqualified under the Act, and contribute to the Compensation Fund.
5. How To Become A Conveyancer In Victoria?
In Victoria, you will need the conveyancer's license to work as a conveyancer. The license is required if you are not approved to work as an Australian legal practitioner. A license is necessary whether you want to run a conveyancing business or an individual.
You need to be at least 18 years
You must apply using the approved form
Submit the required documentation to the authority
Have a minimum of 12 month's work experience
Have completed the necessary educational qualifications
Have not been disqualified from practising conveyancing
Have professional indemnity cover.
6. How To Become A Conveyancer In QLD?
In QLD (Queensland), becoming a conveyancer is slightly different than in NSW and Victoria. Education qualifications will remain the same, but a conveyancer doesn't need a license in QLD.
However, this debate is still ongoing because, as per the Queensland government, a conveyancer primarily does paperwork, which is why they don't require a license. But if you want to work as a conveyancer in QLD, you must work for a law firm or under a legal practitioner.
7. Required Skills To Become A Conveyancer In Australia
A conveyancer must have the required skills to pursue a career. The skills we have highlighted below will help you understand whether you have it in you or not to go for the conveyancer role.
Here are the skills that you need to become a successful conveyancer:
You must have good communication skills because you will deal with multiple clients. You must know how to convince buyers and sellers to proceed with the conveyance process.
You must have the zeal to understand complex legal terms and implement them in legal proceedings without making any mistakes.
You should be good at problem-solving. This skill will help you resolve the issues between the seller and buyer.
Conveyancers should have good research skills as well. This skill will help you conduct in-depth research on a particular area's properties.
As a conveyancer, you should have the patience to deal with multiple people simultaneously. There can be stressful situations; you need to remain calm during such events.
You should be good at analytical thinking and maths knowledge because there will be a lot of calculations.
You should have the bespoke legal knowledge, which will help you deal with government regulations and court proceedings.
You need to be able to carry out basic computer tasks; hence, you need to have minimum computer skills.
8. How Long Does It Take To Become A Conveyancer in Australia?
To become a conveyancer, you will have to enrol in conveyancing courses for lawyers. You can go for a four-year full-time law course in Australia. The course is Bachelor of Law, LLB. Some students may pursue higher education after an LLB to enhance their legal knowledge and have better opportunities.
Suppose you have done graduation or have a master's in another course and want to become a conveyancer. In that case, you should opt for a diploma or an advanced diploma in conveyancing online courses. Such courses are short and will let you understand conveyancing proceedings thoroughly.
Education qualification is the first step you must consider before following the other steps. If you go for diploma courses, it will take 18 to 24 months. Take admission into a course that will be suitable for you and let you learn everything about conveyancing.
9. How Hard Is It To Become A Conveyancer in Australia?
The future growth of conveyancers in Australia is good because there is a requirement for this profession. However, the route to becoming a conveyancer in Australia requires patience. As said, you will have to follow specific steps to become one. You must complete property conveyancing-related courses.
After that, you need to get a license, and then you need to look for jobs related to conveyancing. How hard it is to become a conveyancer will mostly depend on how skilled you are in dealing with the legal proceedings of property buying and selling.
Also, everything will finally boil down to how much you enjoy being a conveyancer. Therefore, take up this career if only you think this career will be suitable for you.
10. How Much Do Conveyancers Earn in Australia?
The salary of a conveyancer ranges from AUD 45K to 105 K. The median wage is AUD 68k per annum. The lowest expected salary is $AUD 45k, and the highest is $ 105K. Please note that compensation depends on a lot of factors.
Your salary depends on the following: job location, the number of clients you handle, where you work, how many hours you give, and the number of years of experience.
Some companies may offer you less pay if you don't have proper qualifications. That's why you should do a course related to conveyancing if you want to get paid better.
11. Why Should You Become A Conveyancer?
A conveyancer has a lot of responsibilities to take care of. Moreover, ask a leading conveyancer, and they will tell you how fulfilling and rewarding this career can be. Here are some of the reasons why you should become a conveyancer:
A conveyancer certainly takes care of the legal side of property management. Still, this role allows professionals to help people buy and sell their properties. You will provide your assistance for someone's most significant purchase.
Conveyancers get to see results quickly. You help two parties- the seller and the buyer- make their journey of transferring property ownership smooth and easy. The process usually happens quickly, making the conveyancer job highly interesting.
The nature of the work is such that you get to balance your personal and professional life. Of course, there will be days when you may have to put in extra work hours, but most of the time, you will be able to create a balance between your personal and professional life.
Anyone who becomes a conveyancer will mostly be the one who loves the real estate sector and the legal bits of it. These are the people who will know in and out about the industry. Moreover, as a conveyancer, there will be opportunities. Everybody sells and buys properties, which means there will be a requirement for conveyancers.
12. Conclusion
A conveyancer job is a reputed professional. Moreover, you get to work in a reputable firm dealing with multiple clients. This post has shared the details of becoming a conveyancer in QLD, VIC, NSW, and all over Australia.
So, follow the steps we have shared here and enhance your chances of becoming a skilled conveyancer. Follow your dreams, prepare for them the right way, and keep pursuing your goals.
We wish you luck in your conveyancing career, and we are sure you will be able to pursue it! Good luck.
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