Do both the buyer and seller use the same attorney in purchasing residential property?

Sometimes, not often (and maybe never in NY; I have seen it once or twice in other jurisdictions) buyers and sellers use the same attorney.  In my opinion, both the parties and the attorneys are out of their minds to do so.  Maybe you can do that if the buyers and sellers are close family members and there are no issues, but if you need an attorney at all, you need your own,not one trying to represent conflicting interests.