Get ready to step into the fast-paced conveyancing field with an online program that’s packed with information to boost your legal know-how and practical skills.
The Certificate of Conveyancing is perfect for career changes, current practitioners wanting to refresh or formalise their skills as well as those in administrative positions wanting to enhance their knowledge of conveyancing.
In this professional development course, you will discover how to use legal terminology, read and interpret legal documents, apply the principles of confidentiality in a legal environment and analyse and interpret legal requirements.
Throughout this course, you will also discover how to prepare legal documents, identify and conduct searches, understand property law and conveyancing, and commence and finalise the conveyancing transaction.
On completion of this legal program, you will have acquired the skills and knowledge required to work as a conveyancing assistant, paralegal or administrator in a legal office or legal department within an organisation.
Note: While not specific to any state or territory, this course gives an overview of the theories and methods that are relevant and applicable across all states of Australia.
Course Structure
Unit 1 - Introduction to Property Law and Conveyancing
- Introduction to conveyancing
- Conveyancing process
- Components
- Types of title
- Taxes
- Contract of Sale
- Contract Law
- Vendor responsibilities
- Special conditions
- Breaches of contract
- Remedies and damages
Unit 2 - Read and Interpret Legal Documents
- Define nature of document
- Document function on conveyancing transaction
- Statutory and general law principles
- Using law principles to identify purpose of document in transaction process
- Interpreting the document
- Rules for precedents, standard form contracts and statutory forms
- Classification of terms
- Legal research and legal sources
- Legal interests of the client
- Protecting the client’s interest
- Non-legal interests
- Checking accuracy and relevance of document
- Annexure
- Procedural / formal requirements
- Compliance
- Statutory or prescribed forms
- Third party information
- Legal principles and key terms
- Rights, responsibilities and liabilities
- Express terms and implied terms
- Identifying lack of conformity or a ambiguity in language
- Identifying items of non-compliance
- Legal issues and risks
- Protecting the interest of the client
- Negotiating with third parties
- Communicating rights, responsibilities and liabilities to client
- Communicating legal and non-legal risks to client
- Alternative courses of action
- Legal and non-legal consequences
- Course of action / providing assistance
- Rules for signing and witnessing documents and deeds
- Signature blocks
- File notes and clear concise instructions
- Despatching correspondence
- Reading and interpreting a legal document
- Providing advise
- Transaction types
- Professional and industry terminology
- Particular words and terms
Unit 3 - Use Legal Terminology
- Legal terminology
- Written and oral communication
- Model of communication
- Internal and external parties
- Appropriate legal terminology
- Policies and procedures
- Codes of conduct
- Spelling and pronunciation
- Using correct legal terminology
- Parties involved in legal proceedings
- Court proceedings
- Civil procedure
- Criminal procedure
- Court documents
- Relevant terminology
- Other legal words and phrases
- Work task limitations
- Identify gaps in knowledge
- Seeking clarification of gaps
- What are gaps?
- Assess your competency levels
- Seeking clarification
- Training coaching and mentoring
- Obtaining experience
- Research
- Observation, effective listening and reading
- Abbreviations and acronyms
- Measurements
- Legislations and rules
- Barristers and judges
- Regular terms
- Legal terminology questions
- Dependability and honesty
Unit 4 - Apply the Principles of Confidentiality and Security Within the Legal Environment
- Work within accepted codes of conduct
- Review and approval of work
- Updating law firm paperwork
- Progress reports
- Methods for organising a file
- Contact with opposing parties
- Conflicts of interest
- Representing someone in an action again a former client
- Supporting a person who has a personal or financial interest in a case
- Supporting a person who is a witness
- Representation of two clients whose interests are not aligned
- Respect
- Cultural differences
- Trust and respect in the workplace
- Honesty and integrity
- Legal practice legislation
- Law firm policies and procedures
- Morals and ethics
- Trust account monies (payment methods)
- Disclosable information
- Privacy legislation
- Using or disclosing personal information
- Passwords and security procedures
- Discretion and judgement
- Communication methods
- Discussions on client related matters
- Dealing with family and other people
- Power of attorney
- File storage and security
- Electronic and paper storage
- Filing procedures
- Discussing client-related matters privately
- Office security policies
- Retrieval and return
- Management of files and document retention
- Safe custody register
- File closure and destruction
Unit 5 - Legal Requirements for Transactions
- Interpret legislative requirements affecting conveyancing transactions
- Legal frameworks
- Common law and contact law
- Formation on contracts
- Terms and clauses
- Equity law
- Components of statute law
- Legislation and regulations
- Contracts of the sale of land
- Disclosure requirements
- Duties fees and taxes
- Insurance
- Track and interpret changes to legislation and regulations affecting agency operations
- Comply with relevant codes of conduct
- Maintain records of legislation and industry codes
- Estate agents’ legislative requirements
- Competitor and consumer protection
- Privacy
- Corporations law
- Trust law
- Agency busines model
- Joint ventures
- Incorporated associations
- Relevant case law
- Structure of legislation and regulations
- Common interpretation problems
- Reading rules
- Act processes for changes in legislation and regulations
- Accessing source documents
- Tracing amendments to legislation
- Interpreting changes to legislation and regulatory requirements
- Change management
- Codes of conduct
- Relationship between industry codes and legislative requirements
- Key features on industry codes
- Ethical behaviour
- Monitoring and communicating changes
- Record maintenance
Unit 6 - Prepare Legal Documents
- Legal nature and relevance of documents
- Examples of legal documents
- Understanding legal nature of documents
- Structure, function and significance of conveyancing document
- Apply statutory and general law principles governing the document
- Key principles and law that apply to drafting legal documents
- Statutory and general law principles
- Prepare legal document
- Construction and interpretation of contracts and legal documents
- Rules that govern the construction and interpretation of legal documents
- Use of precedents
- Standard form contracts
- Statutory forms
- Plain language
- Apply drafting principles to the preparation of compliant legal documents
- Words that create ambiguity or non-compliance
- Drafting terms to protect the client’s interest
- Conformity with client instructions
- Checking document accuracy
- Check annexures for accuracy and relevance
- Checking document for lack of certainty
- Review and rectify non-compliance
- Compliance
- Consumer protection compliance
- Conflicts of interest within legislation and the industry
- Australian and state legislation and regulations
- Legal terms and vocabulary
- Key professional and industry terminology
- Words and terms relevant to drafting legal conveyancing documents
- Policies, procedures and business requirements
- Types of conveyancing
- Conveyancing contracts and legal documents
Unit 7 - Conveyancing Transactions
- Clarify and assess client needs and expectations
- Key policies procedures and business requirements of the practice
- Optional courses of action for the client
- Gather information in relation to the transaction
- Obtain mutual agreement
- Recording client needs accurately
- Identify potential conflicts of interest with the transaction
- Identify parties, properties and other interests
- Roles of various parties involved in the conveyancing transaction
- Duties of the conveyancer for selling and buying
- Roles of client and real estate
- Estates and interest in property
- Certificate of title and other title types
- Various strata title types
- Supporting documentation
- Conveyancing documentation
- Terms of engagement
- Establish and obtain client agreement
- Authority
- Client authorisation form
- Fee and disbursements
- Estimates of costs and time
- Determine contingency strategies and options
- Initiating the transaction
- Actions to meet clients’ needs and expectations
- Ensuring client is kept informed
- Instructions from client to proceed or not proceed
- Referrals to other professionals or third parties
- General law system and Torrens system of title
- Legislative, regulatory and industry practices
- Professional and industry terminology
Unit 8 - Identify and Conduct Searches
- Identify information relevant to the transaction
- Types of property searches
- Sources of information for property / real estate transactions
- Key registration and conversion procedures and strategies
- Professional and industry terminology
- Examine documentation retrieved in searches
- Effective communication between client and third parties involved
- Personal, business or real estate conveyancing transaction types
- Verbal and written communication
- Request and record search information
- Advise client of fees, taxes and other expenses and rebates
- Requirements from financial institutions
- Accurately perform searches
- Organisation policies and procedures
- Busines principles and requirements
- Legislation and regulations
- Manual and electronic searches
- Obtain third party reports
- Evaluate any legal issues and risks arising from transaction
- Risk matrix
- Probability occurrence
- Communicate issue to clients
- Client rights
- Devise strategies to achieve desired outcomes
- Advise from an experienced conveyancer
- Insurance requirements
- Review and seek approval
- Active listening
- Interview strategies
- Clear concise information
- Complete all documentation
- Consequences of searches
Unit 9 - Finalise the Conveyancing Transaction
- Arrange the settlement
- Parties to the transaction
- Conducting transactions
- Electronic requirements
- Transaction requirements
- Preparing for settlement
- File reconciliation
- Calculate rates, taxes and levies
- Reconcile trust accounts
- Calculate funds, fees and disbursements
- Completing the transaction
- Receiving funds
- Contingency strategies
- Final searches and inspections
- Examine transaction documents
- Transaction completion
- Finalisation of documents
- Invoicing and updating records
Assessment
Assessment Information
When you study with Australian Online Courses, you will be assessed using a competency-based training method.
Competency-based training focuses on the achievement of skills and knowledge against set criteria to meet industry-standard and is not benchmarked against other students’ work.
In this course, the assessment will be comprised of written assignments and exercises, which may include short answer questions, reports, essays, research projects and reflective tasks.
If you do not achieve a competency result on your first attempt, you have two more attempts to pass your assessment. So, you have three attempts in total to obtain a competency result.
In this way, you can complete your course in your own time and at your own pace with the assistance of unlimited tutor support.
Course FAQs
Why Choose Australian Online Courses?
- Professional development that is widely recognised and respected;
- Improve your employment opportunities;
- Study online, anywhere via our elearning system;
- High-quality professional development programs written by industry experts;
- No entry requirements;
- All course materials provided online – no textbooks to buy;
- Unlimited tutor support;
- Easy to understand course content;
- Twelve (12) months’ access, with extensions available upon application (fees apply);
- Certificate of Attainment/Completion issued for your CV (hard copy provided); and
- Course may be tax deductible; see your tax advisor.
How long will it take to complete this course?
The approximate study hours for this course is 80 hours. Twelve (12) months’ access, with extensions available upon application (fees apply).
Can I purchase optional printed materials?
Yes! The cost for printed materials for this course is $50 per unit. Total cost for optional printed materials is: $450.00. Printed materials are optional and not required to complete the course. Everything you need to complete the course is provided online via our e-learning system.
When can I start this course?
You can start within 60 minutes during business hours when you enrol and pay in full with a credit card!
Credit card: Within 60 mins during business hours.
BPAY: Within 1-2 working days.
Internet Banking: Within 1-2 working days.
Cheque/Money Order: Upon receipt of mailed cheque.
Will I receive a certificate upon completion of this course?
Yes! You will receive a Certificate of Attainment upon successful completion of your assessment.
Do I need to attend classes or undertake any work placements?
No. All courses are delivered online via our e-learning system and there are no work placement requirements in this course.
What support can I expect from Australian Online Courses?
Unlimited tutor support is available throughout your studies via email during business hours Monday to Friday. Our Administrative team are available Monday to Friday via email, live chat and telephone.
I am an international student. Can I enrol into this course?
Yes! We accept enrolments from individuals both within Australia and internationally; location is no barrier to entry into our programs.