What a real estate conveyancer does
Real estate conveyancing is deadline work. A conveyancer, usually a law clerk working under a lawyer's supervision, opens the file when an agreement of purchase and sale arrives, orders searches, reviews title, communicates with the other side, prepares closing documents and statements of adjustments, coordinates with lenders and title insurers, and registers documents electronically through Teraview. On a busy closing day, the conveyancer is often managing several files at once with no room for a late registration or missing funds.
Because closings depend on so many parties, gaps in a conveyancer's experience show up quickly. Finch screens for hands-on work on purchases, sales, refinances and, where relevant, new-build or commercial transactions. We confirm familiarity with Teraview and Land Registry searches, the conveyancing software you use and the lender requirements your files involve, so the candidates you interview can handle a full caseload without close hand-holding.
Typical responsibilities
- Open real estate files and review agreements of purchase and sale
- Order and review title, execution, tax and other searches
- Prepare closing documents, statements of adjustments and requisition letters for lawyer review
- Communicate with clients, realtors, lenders, title insurers and opposing counsel
- Register transfers, charges and discharges electronically through Teraview
- Coordinate funds on closing and track undertakings afterward
Qualifications and credentials
- Experience as a real estate law clerk or conveyancer in an Ontario firm
- Working knowledge of Teraview electronic registration and Land Registry searches
- Experience with real estate conveyancing software and title insurance processes
- A law clerk diploma or equivalent experience; ILCO certification is an asset for some employers
- Strong organization for managing many files and closing dates at once
Who hires a real estate conveyancer
- Real estate law firms and boutiques
- Full-service firms with residential or commercial real estate groups
- Sole practitioners with high closing volumes
- Builders and developers with in-house legal teams
Where we recruit real estate conveyancer candidates
We fill real estate conveyancer roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Transaction types they have handled, such as purchases, sales, refinances, new builds or commercial deals
- Hands-on Teraview registration experience and comfort with title searches
- Volume and complexity of their recent files, discussed in detail
- How they handle closing-day problems such as late funds or a title issue
- Accuracy and dependability, confirmed with supervising lawyers
Interview questions to ask
- Walk me through a file from the day the agreement arrives to the day you report to the client.
- What do you do when funds have not arrived and the registration deadline is approaching?
- Tell me about a title problem you found. How was it resolved?