Regardless of the rights or wrongs of assisted suicide, the Assisted Dying Bill as currently drafted is “highly unsatisfactory”, say Khawar Qureshi QC and Catriona Nicol writing in NLJ this week. They say the Bill needs significant amendment to protect vulnerable individuals by strengthening the eligibility criteria, particularly in relation to capacity, and ensuring that appropriate monitoring systems are in place. Moreover, “serious consideration” should be given to whether responsibility for decisions should rest with the medical profession or pass to the judiciary, which is accustomed to making the appropriate enquiries.
01 August 2014
Assisted dying
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Penningtons Manches Cooper—Jean-François Le Gal
Penningtons Manches Cooper strengthens international disputes team with appointment of leading arbitration partner
Shakespeare Martineau—Aaron Sanders & Kate Saunders
Shakespeare Martineau strengthens trust and estates disputes team with new appointments
Bellevue Law—Shannon Moore
Bellevue Law strengthens employment disputes and international advisory capability with senior associate appointment
NEWS
Developers in areas with poorly performing councils can apply directly to the Planning Inspectorate for permission under section 62A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990
When does a solicitor’s retainer become a contentious business agreement? The Court of Appeal’s decision in Broadfield Law UK LLP v Barnes shows that listing hourly rates alone will not do, leaving firms and clients uncertain about their rights over bills
MPs cannot simply resign their Commons seats. Instead, they take a nominal Crown office, usually the Chiltern Hundreds or Manor of Northstead, which disqualifies them from sitting
A divorced woman has secured funding to participate in her former husband’s inquest after the Legal Aid Agency reconsidered repeated refusals
The Thirlwall Inquiry has exposed a ‘complete failure’ to protect babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital, but its recommendations must now be put into practice
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