The Law Society's Money Laundering Task Force has announced that the task force has changed its name to the Economic Crime Task Force. The name change has occurred to better reflect the group’s scope and role.

The Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) has recommended a constitutional amendment to establish the International Commercial Court of Pakistan as an independent federal superior court. The recommendation was made at its 49th meeting on 20 July 2026, chaired by the Chief Justice of Pakistan. The proposed court would resolve international commercial disputes, strengthen enforcement of arbitral awards and improve consistency in commercial law, with the aim of increasing investor confidence and supporting international trade and investment. The LJCP also approved proposed amendments to the Banking Companies Ordinance 1962 to extend the Banking Mohtasib’s jurisdiction to customers of microfinance banks and institutions. This would provide an accessible and affordable complaints mechanism, strengthen consumer protection and support financial inclusion.

It is possible in certain circumstances for an executor who has renounced probate to retract their renunciation with the leave of a district judge or registrar—see the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987 (NCPR 1987), SI 1987/2024, r 37(3). However, permission to retract will be granted only in exceptional circumstances after a grant of representation has been made to another person entitled in a lower degree. See Q&A: What is the procedure for seeking the leave of the registrar/district judge to retract a renunciation of executorship? Whether D is the legal successor of Z for the purposes of making a retraction will depend on several factors,

Law360, London: A law firm and its consultant have been imposed with a fine of almost £80,000 between them after the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) found that the consultant had improperly used a client account to move money for a Russian client.

Law360: Closures of law firms have fallen to the lowest level since October 2019 as more businesses negotiate their professional indemnity insurance premiums amid a general fall in insurance costs, research published on 25 March 2024 suggested.

Law360: Over the last five years we have seen law firms start to move away from the pure lockstep model of partner remuneration toward a so-called modified lockstep model, or even a purely meritocratic system. The rigidity of the pure lockstep, which bases partner profit share solely on seniority within the firm, rather than performance, has long made it difficult to deal with extreme ends of the spectrum—long-term underperformance or exceptional contribution.

In-house analysis: A group of US-based general counsels (GCs) has warned external law firms that they will use their buying power to demand improved diversity and inclusion. James Hanlon, general counsel of IKEA USA and former head of legal and governance for IKEA in the UK and Ireland, says GCs can and should play a huge part in leading change in the legal profession.

Law360: The UK privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioners' Office (ICO) said on 16 April 2025, that it has fined an English law firm £60,000 for failing to put in place proper measures to protect its clients' personal information after the firm suffered a cyberattack in 2022.

Law360: A Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP partner has apologised to a London court for overstepping in his interference with an expert witness' statement amid his client's dispute with AXA XL.

This Practice Note considers how to manage relationships with law firms your organisation uses regularly or on a more infrequent basis. Relationship management with a law firm used regularly This Practice Note assumes there has been a thorough selection process leading to choosing the law firms that your team regularly uses. For further information on panel selection, see subtopic: Setting up a panel—overview. Key elements in relationship management The image below shows five elements that are commonly key to developing successful relationships with your law firms: Key element Suggestions Related Practice Notes 1. Scoping and fee parameters Where regular use of a law firm is being made there is much more scope for having fixed fees or tariffs. Decide whether you are better served by agreeing a comprehensive regime to even out any undue pain or gain in billing, or arranging a more selective payment regime which is progressively expanded. Remember it has to work for you, the firm, and your CFO. Legal services procurement—fee arrangements 2. Work in progress reviews Ensure that protocols are in

Law360, London: A regional law firm is being sued for up to £1m for allegedly helping a fraudster impersonate the owner of a London property, which prevented a sale being completed.

Law360, London: Nearly half of employers in the legal sector are paying interns less than the national minimum wage—or nothing at all, widening the gap between middle-and working-class graduates who want access to internships, a new study has found.