A biennial benchmarking tool has been relaunched to measure the digital capabilities of conveyancing firms across England and Wales, with a new focus on artificial intelligence (AI).

The 2026 Digital Conveyancing Maturity Index (DCMI), developed by legal technology specialist InfoTrack UK, has been updated to track how legal practices adopt and govern AI technologies. The index, which has been used more than 2,000 times since its inception, allows firms to evaluate their digital performance against industry standards across seven operational areas.

The property sector across the North of England has seen an acceleration in technology adoption. Firms increasingly use automation and machine learning for document analysis, contract drafting, and pre-completion enquiries to improve transaction speeds.

The updated assessment tool introduces specific metrics to analyse how firms deploy open platforms like ChatGPT alongside legal-specific software and embedded case management systems. It also examines the implementation of formal governance policies and risk management framework oversight.

The assessment covers the full transaction lifecycle, assessing client onboarding, identity verification, anti-money laundering compliance, pre- and post-completion processes, and integrations with Her Majesty's Land Registry (HMLR).

Sam Jordan, Chief Operating Officer at InfoTrack UK, said: "Every two years, the DCMI gives Conveyancing firms the chance to pause and reflect on where they are, how far they’ve come, and even more importantly, how far everyone else has come.

"Since our last edition, AI has moved from an emerging curiosity to something firms are actively deploying or actively questioning. The 2026 index gives conveyancers the insights they need to make better decisions about where to focus, what good looks like, and how they compare to the rest of the industry. We look forward to helping every firm understand how they compare to their peers and competitors come October."

Firms can participate in the online survey without charge. Aggregated, anonymised findings from the research will be disclosed at the Digital Conveyancing Summit on 1 October 2026, after which participating firms will receive an individual benchmarking report.

Complete the survey at digitalconveyancingmaturityindex.co.uk