Q I need advice on money laundering.

Who can help?

A Money laundering is an increasingly complex and fast developing field of law.

It is anticipated that the Money Laundering Regulations 2003 will be laid before Parliament shortly and are likely to be effective in December 2003.

Of course, the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 is already in force.

The Law Society is preparing money laundering guidance which, it is hoped, will be published on the Society's Web site (www.lawsociety.org.uk) in the autumn.

This guidance will help firms to identify their obligations under the legislation and to recognise what they need to do to be in compliance in December 2003.

Details of the publication date will be given in future editions of the Gazette.

There is already some useful information on the Web site about money laundering under the heading: specialisms - money laundering.

The Law Society's professional ethics department can help with providing general information about the relevant legislation, but if enquirers are unclear about how the legislation applies to their situation they may need to take their own specialist legal advice.

Professional ethics is unable to recommend specialist legal advisers.

Calls should normally be made by money laundering reporting officers who have money laundering responsibilities in their firm.

Telephone hotline

The professional ethics lines are open for general enquiries between 11am and 1pm, and 2pm and 4pm.

The lines are less busy in the afternoon.

It takes emergency calls outside these hours, tel: 0870 606 2577.

Question of ethics is compiled by the Law Society's professional ethics guidance team.

Send questions for publication to Austin O'Malley, the Law Society, Ipsley Court, Berrington Close, Redditch B98 0TD; DX 19114 Redditch