ANYONE who has ever bought, or sold, a house will have come face-to-face with the stress counsellor' more commonly known as the conveyancer!

In the heady, and sometimes traumatic property brew, the conveyancer is the essential ingredient.

While the work can be complicated and protracted, it's just bread and butter for Kevin Lambert, the senior conveyancing executive at East Lancashire law firm Watson Ramsbottom.

He said: "One of the most nerve-wracking things a person will do is to buy, or sell, a house. It can be stressful and our role is to make them comfortable with the process, and smooth the way forward.

"We aim to bring all the elements of the sale together. From the moment a person walks into an estate agents and chooses a house, we need to get involved with the technical side of the legal transfer.

"We are the catalysts in the deal, linking it all together the clients, the lawyers, the lenders, and the estate agents."

Born in Great Harwood and educated at Norden County High School, Rishton, Kevin first worked as a trainee legal executive while studying law for four years on day release and in the evening at Blackburn College.

After more than two decades in various legal service departments, Kevin took up his present post more than five years ago.

"Born in Great Harwood, first job in Great Harwood, now working again in Great Harwood I've certainly come full circle," said Kevin.

"The process of conveyancing is undergoing change, like all professions. Land Registry records have all gone on an electronic data base which is cutting down the paperwork, but serving clients and customer satisfaction is still the priority.

"There are stumbling blocks along the way. The law is always changing, and new regulations often serve to muddy the waters.

"If you buy a house you must know as much as you can about it.

"If you fail to discover something important when you buy, then the problems will be carried through and become an issue to haunt you when you come to sell."

And there are more challenges for conveyancers, and their clients, on the horizon. In 2007, anyone wanting to sell a house will have to produce a Home Information Pack and this will mean an even greater role for the conveyancer.

But for Kevin the goal will be the same: "To handle a transaction which goes through like clockwork really is very rewarding."