Can seller and purchacer use the same solicitor?

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trawbhui

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I am a small piece of property to a neighbour. No conflict involved. Price agreed. Question is: can we both use the same solicitor or is there any legal difficulty with this. Hoping to keep costs down on both for both of us. Thank you.
 
For regulatory and other reasons acting for both sides in a sale/purchase either forbidden in most cases or imprudent in others.

However the large Dublin firms manage with the aid of the famous chinese walls to act on several sides of possibly contentious matters. Hope their foundations can stand all these chinese walls.
 
yes you can both use the same solicitors office. It is only not allowed in cases where a solicitor is acting for a developer in the sale of new houses, then they cant act for the purchaser of those houses. In your case there is no rule against it.
 
Darth Vader said:
yes you can both use the same solicitors office. It is only not allowed in cases where a solicitor is acting for a developer in the sale of new houses, then they cant act for the purchaser of those houses. In your case there is no rule against it.
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It is regarded as imprudent and frowned on. It is only where the parties are related, or are associated companies, or are established clients that it is acceptable and even then, it is inadvisable.

Far better for both parties to be independently advised.

mf
 
trawbhui said:
Thank you folks. I will have a go at it. Anything to minimise the cost.
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I very much doubt if will find a credible solicitor to act for both sides. What happens if something goes wrong ?? You would be better off calling off the entire transaction than going down the route you propose.
 
As a 'country' firm we get asked to act for both parties in a transaction frequently. We have an arrangement with other firms whereby we draft all documents, one party attends at another firm for independent advice and a modest fee is paid for the independent solicitor. It keeps costs down and everyone can be satisfied they have had independent advice. It's quite common- I doubt too many firms would act for both sides anymore as they are leaving themselves open to negligence actions. It may well be that when the OP talks about one firm acting for both sides that they will find one party being sent for the independent advice at some point.
 
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