There may often be circumstances where the Conveyancing Professional (CP) named in a dealing may not be available for signing. If that occurs, any CP within the firm can certify and sign the necessary instruments without the need to change the named CP in the dealing.

The benefits of this include:

• retaining signatures of other parties who may have already signed the instrument
• not incurring the wrath of colleagues by deleting their signatures with a change of your CP
• the messages will go to the original named CP
• it's quicker than having to amend the names in the Create Dealing screen.

The name of the certifying CP will show on the instrument as the person who certified and signed that instrument.

This is consistent with allowing any CP within a firm being able to sign any in any dealing within that firm. The Authority & Instruction forms are addressed to the firm as opposed to an individual CP for that reason.

The same also applies for a sole practitioner's attorney that is 'linked' to that firm. In an urgent situation, the attorney can sign the instrument without needing to change the named CP. That is on the basis that the 'linking' allows the system to recognise the attorney as technically being within the same firm for the purposes of signing.

In summary, if the signing CP is different from the named CP due to the unavailability of the named CP, don't change the named CP. If you are from the same firm and have sign privileges you may access and sign the instrument(s). If the other side has signed, any change of the named CP will remove all certifications and signatures. By signing without changing the named CP the prior signatures will be retained.

Duncan Terris