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17 January 2025 / Simon Parsons
Issue: 8100 / Categories: Opinion , Health , Human rights , Criminal
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The assisted dying Bill: all for nothing?

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The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has prompted fierce debate on both sides, but is a Bill needed at all? Simon Parsons considers the existing law & guidance

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill put forward last year by Kim Leadbeater MP (which is now at committee stage in the House of Commons) states that anyone who wants to end their life can do so if they are over 18 years old and domiciled in England and Wales, are registered with a GP, have the mental capacity to make the choice to end their own life, and have expressed a clear, settled and informed wish to do so, free from coercion or pressure. That person must be expected to die within six months, have made two separate signed and witnessed declarations about their desire to die, and convinced two independent doctors that they are eligible. A High Court judge would have to rule in favour of the assisted suicide. A patient would then have

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

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From mowing lawns to life at the Bar: Stephen Ward reflects on an unconventional career

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

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Commercial property partner joins Clarke Willmott in Southampton

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Robert Tiffen joins Ellisons as Partner in growing Norwich office

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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