DC Law

DC Law: residential conveyancing in England and Wales

DC Law is a law firm specialising in residential conveyancing, that is, the legal processing of home sales, purchases and remortgages. The company presents itself as one of the largest providers of conveyancing services in the UK, with more than twenty years of activity and thousands of moves handled every year. Its stated area of operation covers the whole of England and Wales.

The firm is part of Simplify, described in its own material as the largest independent group of conveyancing and property services in the UK. DC Law operates under the regulation of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), the regulatory body for licensed conveyancers in England and Wales.

Services and approach to processing

DC Law handles the legal side of buying and selling a home with the stated aim of simplifying the process for its clients. Among the transactions it mentions are the purchase, sale and remortgage of homes. The firm combines the use of its own technology with personal attention from dedicated legal teams.

Its fee policy is presented as fixed fee and under the formula “No Sale, No Legal Fee”: if the transaction does not complete, no legal fees are charged for the time spent. The company itself clarifies that this guarantee does not cover the File Opening Fee, which is paid once a purchase or sale has been agreed and subject to contract, nor additional costs that the firm has advanced on the client's behalf. Upfront payments are non-refundable, although they are credited against costs incurred.

eWay: online case management

The firm uses eWay, a secure, real-time online case management service that allows clients to read, review and manage their legal documents from a computer, tablet or mobile phone. According to the company, this tool speeds up the conveyancing process and keeps the client updated at all times, reducing the need to travel to sign or send documentation.

Alongside eWay, the firm mentions ieWay as another of its technology solutions. The material does not detail the specific functions of ieWay.

Team and offices

DC Law has dedicated teams of conveyancers who support the client from the start to the completion of the transaction. The company states that its head office, in Southport (Merseyside), brings together more than one hundred people dedicated to the legal aspects of buying and selling. It also has an office in St Ives (Cambridgeshire) and offers remote working roles. The firm notes that it maintains flexible working arrangements, so visits to the premises must be arranged in advance with a conveyancer, as they may not be based at the site.

Relationship with estate agents and introducers

DC Law works with estate agents and introducers in England and Wales. These companies assist in marketing its services, case tracking, collecting initial payments and, in purchases, ordering searches and sales progression. The firm pays these partners variable fees depending on the level of support provided, with a stated average of between £300 and £450. The company clarifies that this amount is paid by itself and does not represent an additional cost to the client.

Corporate and regulatory details

DC Law is the trading name of Dorling Cottrell Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with number 7947316 and regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers under practice licence number 11176. Its stated registered office is Grant Hall, Parsons Green, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, PE27 4AA. The firm states that the list of directors is available through its registered office.

The material also includes another corporate reference: registration number 04323405, with registered office at 1 Frances Way, Leicester, LE19 1SH, and VAT number 231 822924. Practice licence number 11315 and VAT number 681597295 also appear. The company does not clarify in the text the relationship between the two references.

Awards and customer service

The firm states that it has received numerous awards from the legal and financial services sectors for its customer service, and displays Trustpilot reviews on its website. Its proposition is based on the idea of simplifying the move and keeping the client informed at every stage of the process.