Conveyancing solicitors near Sawbridgeworth need four things from their IT: reliable support for LEAP and your legal software, strong security to protect client funds and data, secure access from the office and home, and a partner who answers the phone and fixes things fast. Get those right and IT supports the work, even at completion-day pace. For most practices that full service costs about £45 to £100 per user per month.
Sawbridgeworth sits between Harlow and Bishop’s Stortford, and like any conveyancing practice the work is deadline-driven, handles large client-account payments, and is a top target for fraud. So the support has to fit that reality rather than a generic break-fix contract. Here is what to expect, and what good looks like.
1. Real support for your legal software
You run LEAP, Oyez forms, eSigner, BigHand dictation and your tax and payroll software, and your day stops when any of them stops. Your IT partner should know these tools, keep them fast and available, handle their updates and deal with the vendors for you. That means understanding why a matter will not open, or why dictation has stopped syncing, and fixing it quickly rather than leaving it in a long ticket queue.
2. Security that protects client money
Conveyancers are prime targets for fraud, from completion-payment redirection to phishing aimed at the client account. Layered security, including endpoint protection, application allowlisting, managed email security, multi-factor authentication and regular staff training, protects your money and your reputation. This is core, not optional, and it is increasingly what lender panels, insurers and the SRA expect to see documented.
3. Secure access from anywhere
Your fee earners work from the office, from home, and sometimes between the Sawbridgeworth, Harlow and Bishop’s Stortford areas. They need secure, reliable access to LEAP and client files everywhere, through multi-factor authentication and properly managed devices, without weakening security to get convenience.
4. Fast, human support
When something breaks during exchange you want to call a person who fixes it, not sit in a queue. Expect quick response, a friendly helpdesk that knows your practice, and proactive monitoring that prevents problems in the first place. Ask any provider for their typical response and resolution times, and how much they catch before you even notice.
What this should cost
For a conveyancing practice, a complete managed service usually costs £45 to £100 per user per month, depending on headcount, number of offices, the software you run and the depth of security you need. A small single-office practice typically sits in the lower half of that range. The figure should be clear, per user, and include support, security and backups.
What to ask a provider
A few questions quickly separate a specialist from a generalist:
- Do you already support LEAP, Oyez and the other tools we run, and can you give a reference from a similar practice?
- What are your typical response and resolution times, and what do you fix before we notice?
- Is multi-factor authentication enforced on every account, with application allowlisting as standard?
- How often do you test-restore our backups, and how quickly could we be working again after an incident?
- Is the price clear and per user, with no extra charge for support calls?
A real example: security doing its job
We support a conveyancing practice that has rated our service positively on every ticket for around a decade. On one occasion the managed Sophos protection we run for them blocked an attempted exploit on a fee earner’s machine, stopping the attack before it could do any harm, and we had them working normally again the same morning.
What good IT means for your practice
For a conveyancing practice, good IT is mostly invisible. LEAP and your other tools load, completions go through, client money and data stay protected, and staff can work from the office or home without friction. When something does go wrong it is caught early and fixed fast. That day-to-day reliability, rather than any single product, is what you are really paying for, and it is why the right partner at a slightly higher monthly cost works out cheaper than a cheap contract that leaves you exposed.
Why conveyancing solicitors choose First Stop IT
First Stop IT has supported businesses since 2002, including conveyancing solicitors and high-street practices, and we know the software you run every day: LEAP, Oyez forms, eSigner, BigHand, Sage Payroll, PTP and Xero, alongside Microsoft 365. We support conveyancing solicitors in Harlow, Bishop’s Stortford, Sawbridgeworth, London and across Essex and Hertfordshire. Our credentials include:
- Cyber Essentials Certified
- IASME Cyber Assurance (Gold)
- NCSC Assured Service Provider (Cyber Advisor for Cyber Essentials)
- Microsoft Partner
- Crown Commercial Service Supplier (G-Cloud)
- Quality Principles Certified
We look after more than 2,000 endpoints across 50 companies, we have been named a Top 50 UK MSP for three years running, and we support organisations with 10 to 100 employees across Essex, Hertfordshire and London, including Harlow and Bishop’s Stortford.
Book a free IT and cyber security review
Want IT support built around how a conveyancing practice actually works? Book a free IT and cyber security review with First Stop IT.