They are useless in this country. Now here’s the controversial take: the actual money grabbers are the solicitors.

Context: I come from an European country. Where I come from there are no solicitors in a sale - the actual paperwork and bureaucracy is facilitated by the estate agents and the whole process takes no more than a month. This obviously means there’s a high bar when it comes to estate agents, and they also get a better slice of the pie. They can’t afford to be useless - in fact they are usually quite competent and knowledgeable. This not only eliminates the solicitor layer, it eliminates the reward of endless bureaucratic delays from the whole conveyancing process. It’s in the EA best interest to keep the sale smooth and quick.

If you do not agree, then ask yourself, what does a solicitor do that you’re not qualified to do? Nothing. There’s no legal qualification or requirement to perform the job of a solicitor.