Canadian leader Torys has agreed to pay $30.2m (£17.2m) to Hollinger International to settle an accusation of improper conduct in one of the biggest payouts ever from a major law firm.

The settlement between the newspaper company, once owned by Lord Conrad Black, and the Toronto-based Torys, stems from the firm’s role in advising Hollinger International on the $2.1bn (£1.2bn) sale of newspaper assets to CanWest Global Communications in 2000.