Working With a Pakistani Lawyer From Abroad: Communication and Trust

The complaint overseas clients make most often is not about fees but about silence - weeks with no update, and no way to tell whether the case is progressing. Most of that is avoidable by agreeing how communication will work before instructing, and by knowing what normal progress actually looks like in a Pakistani court.

Setting it up properly

1. Written engagement - scope, fee, exclusions, and what happens if the matter extends.
2. Named contact, with a second person for when they are unavailable.
3. Agreed reporting rhythm - after every hearing, plus a monthly summary if dates are far apart.
4. Preferred channel - email for the record, messaging for speed.
5. Time-zone expectations - your lawyer works Pakistani hours and hearings are listed then.
6. Copies of every filing sent to you, without asking.
7. The authority you are granting, limited to the matter.

Point three matters most. Ask for a report after every hearing rather than at fixed intervals. It ties updates to something real, and silence after a listed date becomes an obvious signal rather than something you have to guess about.

What normal progress looks like

Overseas clients frequently mistake ordinary Pakistani litigation rhythm for neglect. Calibrate expectations:

The first four are the system, not your lawyer. The last three are legitimate concerns worth raising directly.

Verifying progress yourself

You are not wholly dependent on being told. Several things can be checked independently:

• Case status services published by the High Courts show listings and dates for many matters.
• The case number - ask for it, then look it up.
• Copies of filings - request them as they are filed.
• Land records for property matters, checkable online in several provinces.
• SECP register for company filings.
• A trusted contact who can attend a date occasionally.

Ask for the case number and the court at the outset. A client who can look up their own matter is in a completely different position from one relying entirely on verbal updates, and requesting it is entirely normal.

Making communication work

• Batch your questions rather than messaging repeatedly through their working day.
• Put substantive instructions in writing, so there is a record on both sides.
• Confirm important calls by email afterwards, summarising what was agreed.
• Respond promptly when documents are requested - client delay is a common cause of adjournment.
• Accept the time-zone reality and agree a window that works for both.
• Be candid about facts that do not help you. Surprises in court are far worse than bad facts known early.

The relationship works considerably better when the lawyer is not chasing you for documents while you are chasing them for updates.

Authority: give enough, not more

Your lawyer needs authority to act, and it should be bounded to the matter.

• Special power of attorney for the specific case or transaction.
• Express authority to file, appear, engage counsel and receive notices.
• Settlement authority defined - excluded, capped, or requiring your written confirmation.
• No power of sale unless a sale is the actual instruction.
• An expiry date.
• Revoke on completion, and register the revocation.

Be deliberate about settlement authority. A power allowing your representative to compromise a claim without limit means someone else can settle your case on terms you would never accept - see the format guide and, for family matters, acting from abroad.

Keeping your own file

Overseas clients who keep an organised record of their own matter are consistently better served, for a simple reason: they can ask precise questions, and precise questions get answered.

Keep, from the outset:

• The engagement letter and every fee agreement or variation.
• The case number and court, recorded the day you are given them.
• Every filing made in your name, as it is filed.
• Every order received, with its date.
• A dated log of hearings - the date listed, what happened, the next date.
• Payment records and receipts.
• The power of attorney and, when the time comes, its revocation.

This takes a few minutes after each update and pays for itself repeatedly. It lets you notice a date that passed without a report. It gives a second lawyer something to work from if you ever seek another view. And if a fee dispute arises, you have the actual record rather than a recollection.

There is a harder reason as well. Overseas matters commonly outlast the client's attention - a succession case can run for years, and the person managing it may fall ill or move. A file that someone else could pick up is worth building, particularly where the matter concerns family property that other relatives will eventually inherit.

For property matters, keep the land record extracts alongside the litigation file - see managing property from abroad.

If things are not going well

1. Ask specific questions. "What was the last date and what happened?" beats "any update?".
2. Request the case number and recent orders if you do not have them.
3. Put concerns in writing with a reasonable deadline for a response.
4. Ask a trusted contact to attend a hearing and report back.
5. Get a second opinion on the file if you have real doubts.
6. Change lawyers if necessary, understanding there are practical consequences - fees incurred, file transfer, the new lawyer getting up to speed.
7. Raise serious misconduct with the relevant bar council.

Most difficulties are communication failures rather than misconduct. A direct, written, specific question resolves the majority of them.

Frequently asked questions