96 per cent of 301 respondents in Allen & Overy’s liberalisation survey, want liberalisation; 33 per cent feel Indian law firms provide “very good” services to large corporations, while 56 per cent feel they provide “good” services; More than 90 per cent want access to international legal expertise; 89 per cent see increased career opportunities through liberalisation; 80 per cent anticipate improved work-and-pay conditions in Indian law firms; respondents include C-suite executives, general counsel, and partners and associates from India’s top 50 law firms [ET] [Survey Report]

British Herbert Smith and Aussie Freehills to become Herbert Smith Freehills with 2800 lawyers, 20 offices, and one profit pool; Herbert Smith senior partner Jonathan Scott will head a governance board sitting above the management at the combined firm; merger deviates from Herbert Smith’s previous strategy of only sharing office spaces and referring clients, but keeping separate profits [Financial Times]

US market regulator SEC catches top Indian brokers in the US, for not registering as ‘foreign brokers’ despite not satisfying exemption requirements; Indian brokers looking for settlement though consent orders, are worried SEC might use the term ‘wilful violation’ in the orders, thus stigmatizing Indian brokers in the global market; Indian brokers want SEBI to step-in [ET]

DIPP considers as “test-case” Scandinavian furniture retailer IKEA’s 37-page-letter of demands made before investing £1.5m in setting-up 25 Indian retail stores; Demands require easing of sourcing-quantum requirements [Business Standard]

Congress leadership rejects ASG Mohan Parasaran’s resignation; [@Arungiri on Twitter]

Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar writes letter to the PM arguing that India’s stand at the UN for inter-governmental oversight of the internet is against the letter and spirit of the Tunis Agenda 2005, encourages countries with dubious human rights records to align with India, and is less enlightened than Brazil’s stand [Ciol]

When the US is at war, the Wartime Suspension of Limitations Act suspends the statute of limitations in the country, for certain crimes; And according to a fifth circuit US court the Iraq war has still not ended, in the absence of a formal proclamation by the US Congress or the president, to terminate the suspension of limitations [Wall Street Journal]