Strong personal relationships crucial in conveyancing

WHEN Brian Fang quit his Associate position at Dentons, it was for a career change to set up a new business venture.

It was a good job he had solid contingency plans, as just a month later, Sydney was hit by COVID lockdowns.

Now his firm S&B Legal is thriving, with a team of ten conducting conveyancing transactions across all states.

The ambitious young professional shared his thoughts on the sector with Australian Conveyancer, highlighting key lessons, including how Sydney’s unaffordability has boosted interstate business, technology’s role in saving time, and the consequences of cyber scams.

“It’s the strong personal relationships he has forged that have been crucial.

“We need human interaction, especially when you’re dealing with large sums of money. When the average price is over a million dollars, anyone committing themselves to that may want reassurance from another person.”

AC: How did S&B Legal come about?

BF: When I left Dentons, I planned a career change and started a bouldering gym. Setting up a law firm was always in the back of my mind. When lockdowns put the gym on hold, a real estate agent friend asked for help with conveyancing matters. Thankfully, I had already completed all my certifications to open a practice, and so I jumped on the opportunity to start S&B Legal.

I saw an opportunity to carve out a niche where I could offer a client-centric, technology-driven approach to conveyancing. My background in a large firm gave me the legal grounding, but running my own business meant developing strong relationships and understanding the commercial realities my clients face.

AC: How has your business developed?

BF: I started as a sole practitioner, building relationships with real estate agents, brokers and accountants. After eight months, I hired my first paralegal, who is still with us. Since then, we’ve added four solicitors, two, conveyancers and three paralegals. This year, after spending time laying the foundations, we will be looking to expand more aggressively.

As our client base expanded, we focused on refining processes to improve efficiency. Technology plays a big role in that. We use automated systems to streamline workflows, reduce errors, and ensure compliance with evolving regulations. At the same time, I make sure the firm retains a personal touch, ensuring clients feel informed and supported throughout their transactions.

AC: What made you expand interstate?

BF: During COVID, a few of the real estate agents and brokers that I had become acquainted with saw many of their clients requiring assistance with interstate conveyancing matters. Due to the lockdown, many had trouble finding a relevant solicitor in NSW to assist them with their matters in QLD. Luckily, during my time in corporate, I had the opportunities to upskill myself with conveyancing outside of NSW and one of those states happened to be QLD.  I saw an opportunity where a lot of Sydney buyers are priced out in their own state and so were forced to look interstate when it came to getting their foot in the door for their journey to owning property in Australia. Back when S&B Legal was conceived, we would see clients purchasing houses interstate with $500,000, whereas in Sydney, you’d struggle to get an apartment close to the CBD. 

During COVID, I saw a trend: buyers were seeking lifestyle changes, moving to Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, or Perth. Many first-home buyers and investors started looking outside NSW for affordability. Understanding interstate markets gave us an edge because clients wanted guidance beyond just legal paperwork—they wanted someone who understood the different property climates and could compare the transaction process in different states.

AC: How do you manage differences in conveyancing laws across states?

BF: As a lawyer, I have my appointment with the NSW Supreme Court and the High Court of Australia which allows me to operate transactionally anywhere in Australia. Notwithstanding this, I spent time upskilling myself in each state and building a team around them that will keep us and our client fully informed. It takes reading and confidence before we started expanding into other states.

Each state has its own regulatory nuances, which can be complex. Understanding them thoroughly is key. Cooling off periods are something that we would be familiar with or otherwise heard in passing conversation. However, these do not apply in every state, or in some states, the timeframe of cooling off periods differ from one another. To manage the differences in each state, we have checklists and legal precedents tailored to each jurisdiction to ensure compliance and efficiency.

AC: Can you share key state differences?

BF: Aside from legislation and regulations that govern each state, the contracts themselves can be vastly different. In NSW, you would expect a standard contract to be upwards of 50 pages whereas in QLD, before Seller Disclosure, contracts were much shorter – typically 16 pages. The requirements for disclosures are significantly different. 

One distinguishable difference we have seen is in the process itself. In some states, the contracts are driven by solicitors and conveyancers whilst in other states, the real estate agent takes charge of the process with the solicitors and conveyancers stepping in to facilitate the legal transfers. 

Beyond contract length, contractual conditions can differ. Some states like QLD, VIC and WA allow for conditional clauses for Finance and Building and Pest, whereas NSW is typically buy “as-is”. The differences in each state would impact on how we would advise our clients. 

AC: How do you handle differences in professional approaches across states?

BF: We have found that working across multiple jurisdictions often meant that not all people operated in the same manner.  This sometimes causes friction, but we stay open to learning.

There are local conventions that aren’t in the legislation but are simply how things are done. Some conveyancers have worked in one jurisdiction for decades and expect deals to be handled in a specific way. We take the time to build credibility in each state by engaging with professionals on the ground and understanding their expectations.

AC: How important are relationships in interstate business?

BF: When we first started, I used to travel between Sydney and Brisbane frequently as PEXA was not yet compulsory, but now handle almost 100 per cent of transactions electronically. Early travel helped me build relationships with agents and clients that then laid the foundations to more word-of-mouth referrals. The advancement in technology allowing us to communicate with people in real time, over Zoom/Teams and even Facetime has allowed us to capture more of the market. Despite this, the early days of developing relationships on the ground have proven to be fruitful.

Relationships in business are vital. We work closely with agents, brokers, and other solicitors to ensure seamless transactions. Trust is built over time, and it’s crucial when handling property transactions that involve large sums of money. At the end of the day, we specialise in property transactions that involve transfers of legal title. The premise of these transactions is that there is one party wanting to sell and one party wanting to buy. We operate in good faith such that all parties can achieve their desired goals as efficiently and effectively as possible.

AC: What are your views on AI in conveyancing?

BF: AI is disrupting legal work. Some firms no longer need paralegals, and AI can draft legal documents. AI-assisted contract review is on the horizon. However, human interaction remains vital. Reviewing documents is one thing, but explaining them in plain English to a client is another.

The prevalence of AI will definitely change the future of the legal industry and we can see AI assisting with contract analysis and risk identification soon, but it doesn’t replace professional judgment. I see it as a tool that enhances efficiency rather than replacing human expertise.

“We need human interaction, especially when clients are handling funds from what would likely be one of their largest purchases or sales in their lifetimes.  When the median house price exceeds a million dollars, people want reassurance from another person.”

At S&B Legal, we balance technology with personal service, ensuring clients receive both efficiency and a human touch.