ONP Group increases conveyancing capacity 30% through academy
22 August 2022
ONP Group, the leading legal services provider to the residential property and remortgage markets, has increased its conveyancing capacity by 30% in just the past year.
At the beginning of last year ONP relaunched its academy programme to bring new conveyancers into the market. Since then, it has brought over 187 new people into the business – with 150 joining in the past year alone.
Its aim is to speed up the conveyancing process and make it more efficient. Training its own talented recruits allows it to build capacity in the organisation over time, developing skilled people throughout the organisation.
ONP Group has invested heavily in its IT, to streamline the conveyancing process. But it is also investing in its people at the same time. The 150 colleagues recruited and trained in the past 12 months, brings its total headcount to 640 staff up from 490 a year ago.
This increase is driven by soaring demand, initially driven by the stamp duty holiday. The conveyancing market as a whole, completed 1.8 million transactions last year, up 50% from 1.2 million in 2020.
ONP Group has set up the academy to have a new intake every month. Its next academy will start on 5th September with new trainees joining alongside a further intake of experienced conveyancers. The academy will consist of eight weeks of intensive training in a hybrid classroom and digital environment, hosted at ONP Group’s state-of-the-art offices in Stockport.
On graduating the academy, each individual joins an established conveyancing team, where they will be provided with mentorship from experienced conveyancers as well as team support. They progress from there to own a small number of cases, all of which are overseen as the individual continues to build their knowledge. Over the following year they gradually grow their client base and also start to take on more complex cases, all with continued professional development and support.
More experienced conveyancers that join the training academy will take part in a fast-track course. This will involve a focus on learning the ONP Group processes and how to use its advanced technology systems, it will also provide individual development programmes. As ONP Group recruits more senior and experienced staff, it provides them with the opportunity to either manage their own caseload or balance case management with helping to mentor and train those who complete the academy.
Adam Forshaw, managing director of the award-winning firm, said:
“We believe in investing in the conveyancing market and bringing new people into our industry. Increasing our headcount by 30% in the past year, shows our dedication to increasing our conveyancing capacity and helping to make life easier for brokers and their clients.
“We seek to build upon both the challenges and the business successes of the past two years, which saw exceptional demand. We are looking to build capacity through highly trained new staff, working in conjunction with our market-leading technology.
“By investing in our technology at the same time as our people, we are freeing up time for our case managers, giving them more time to devote to brokers and their clients.”
Stockport-based ONP Group incorporates O’Neill Patient Solicitors, Grindeys, and Cavendish Legal Group, and has been at the forefront of utilising digital technology to make conveyancing faster and more efficient.
At the beginning of last year, ONP Group moved its head office into the second and third floors at the prestigious six-storey 2 Stockport Exchange office building, which is part of the £145m Stockport Exchange development. A further three office locations are spread across the UK, in London, Stoke-on-Trent, and Leeds.
