Leading Property Lawyers Limited

“It was so much easier than trawling through bits of paper and statements… The legwork part is done for them so that all we were requiring from fee-earners was their expertise. We weren’t taking away any of the actual legal work. In fact, we were giving them more time to do it.” 

– Louise Stephens-Pantoja, Head of Operations, LPL

• Fee-earners freed from manual AML and Source of Funds (SoF) admin
• SoF addressed earlier in the transaction
• Reduced client chasing and back-and-forth
• Skilled fee-earners able to focus on legal work, not paperwork

About Leading Property Lawyers Limited

Leading Property Lawyers (LPL) is a specialist, tech-enabled conveyancing law firm founded in 2017.

Established to deliver a modern, digital-first approach to conveyancing, LPL combines experienced legal professionals with carefully chosen technology, proactive communication, and a genuinely human service.

Originally founded as a conveyancing division of Read Roper & Read Solicitors LLP, a firm with legal heritage dating back to 1875, LPL began operating as its own legal entity, Leading Property Lawyers Limited, in 2025.  The firm continues to build on that long-standing legal heritage while operating as a modern, national conveyancing practice.

LPL found itself burdened by admin and client back and forth. The firm’s fee-earners were frequently spending too much time on AML and SoF related work: chasing clients for incomplete documents, trawling through bank statements, and cumbersome manual paper-based checks.

The firm recognised that this approach was inefficient and prevented fee earners from doing the work they were trained and hired for. Head of Operations, Louise Stephens-Panoja summarised:

“We were expecting them to do all of these admin tasks, which still needed to be done, but they didn’t need to be done by somebody at that level of expertise.”

Putting fee-earners’ time and expertise first

LPL required a solution that would complement their digital vision, value their fee-earners’ time and put their needs and the needs of the business first, and satisfy LPL’s regulatory obligations in a way that would be pleasant rather than burdensome.

As a market leader with a proven track record in transforming financial data collection across the property sector, introducing Armalytix provided a sophisticated platform that streamlined SoF checks and brought structure to an otherwise fragmented and manual process. 

The platform was quickly integrated into LPL’s workflow, allowing checks to be undertaken much earlier in the client journey and eliminating repeated back-and-forth client communication. 

Fee-earners welcomed the change. While the admin tasks were important and needed doing, they didn’t necessarily have to be completed by someone at that level of expertise. As Louise recalled:

“The introduction of Armalytix took away the whole admin burden, and allowed our skilled team to utilise their skills. As a business, we got better value for money out of our people.” 

All regulatory decision-making and legal judgement remains with LPL’s qualified fee-earners.

Faster onboarding and clearer reporting

Fee-earners no longer need to go digging – the Armalytix report presents all the required client information, at a glance, as well as flagging LPL-specific high-risk indicators like transactions over £1m, overseas funds, and cryptocurrency deposits.

The onboarding process was quick and efficient. Head of Quality and Development, Stephanie Maydew said:

“The reports are self-explanatory, clearly structured, and laid out in the same way for each matter, which is helpful.” 

The report made having difficult conversations with clients much easier, as the background and rationale for the information required were clearly explained, cutting down repeat questions of “why” and reducing the anxiety some fee-earners felt when forced to have such difficult discussions. 

For LPL’s clients it’s even more straightforward – the majority of client concerns surrounding the SoF process bypass the firm and are picked up externally by Armalytix. Any issues get ironed out by the support team. 

For LPL’s clients, many routine queries relating to the Source of Funds process are supported directly by Armalytix, reducing the operational burden on the firm while maintaining LPL’s oversight and regulatory responsibility.

Crucially, LPL found that, with Armalytix, they were able to address SoF much earlier in the transaction, saving critical time.

Ongoing Support

Beyond improving the efficiency of SoF checks, ongoing support has been a key part of LPL’s experience with Armalytix. By guiding clients through the process and resolving queries externally wherever possible, Armalytix continues to reduce the operational burden on LPL’s team.

Anytime there’s a question or an opportunity to improve the process, the Armalytix team responds quickly. The team is equally receptive to feedback, working closely with LPL to ensure the platform continues to evolve in line with the firm’s needs and digital ambitions.

This collaborative approach means LPL feels supported at every stage – from onboarding through to everyday use. As Stephanie explained:

“The team is so helpful. You know you can always just get in touch. It is just like reaching out to a colleague.”