Debbie Purdy, and a farewell to the Law Lords

Yesterday, in one of its final cases heard as Britain's highest court, the House of Lords accepted MS sufferer Debbie Purdy's bid to clarify the law on assisted suicide.

Ms Purdy, whose case has been covered in previous issues of The Specialist Paralegal, has been seeking a formal policy statement from the Director of Public Prosecutions on the circumstances in which a person might face prosecution for helping a loved one end his or her life abroad.

To date, 115 people have travelled from Britain to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland to be helped to die. Assisting a suicide is illegal in England and Wales under the Suicide Act 1961, but the DPP has declined to prosecute the relatives and friends of those - such as paralysed rugby player Daniel James - who have chosen to end their lives in this way as a matter of public policy. However the reasons behind this decision, which is made on a case by case basis, has never been publicised.

While yesterday's judgement will not affect the legal position, Ms Purdy's victory will clarify the circumstances in which a person such as her husband may face prosecution for helping a loved on end his or her life.

Ms Purdy was "ecstatic" at the verdict. "It feels like everything else doesn’t matter and now I can just be a normal person," she said. "It gives me my life back.

"I want to live my life to the full, but I don’t want to suffer unnecessarily at the end of my life. This decision means that I can make an informed choice, with Omar [Puente, her husband], about whether he travels abroad with me to end my life because we will know exactly where we stand. I am grateful to the law lords for listening and rising to the challenge that this case presented."

You can read the full judgement via the House of Lords.

On a separate note, callers to the now-defunct House of Lords Judicial Office from today are being greeted with a recorded message featuring the world's most popular funeral song.

Calling 0207 219 3111 connects with a recorded message listing the last appeals heard by the Lords - all to the background music of Frank Sinatra's "My Way".

Hang on until the end, for the office admin team's (literal) swansong.

Legal Links 31/07/09

"Right to die" campaigner wins House of Lords ruling [Times Online]
Hacker Gary McKinnon's extradition appeal rejected [Times Online]
Hillsborough files to be opened [BBC News]
Victory for Procol Harum organist [BBC News]

Legal Links 30/07/09

Law Lords pass judgement for the last time [Times Online]
Law Awards of Scotland nominees announced [Law Awards]
Britains top 20 law firms revealed [Times Law Central]
First 2009 rise for house prices [BBC News]
Government concession to ease licensing transition [The Journal]
Decision day for assisted suicide law [The Guardian]
Council found liable for children's exposure to toxic waste [The Guardian]
The stress of being a female lawyer [Times Online]

Legal Links 27/07/09

Dingy sailors and canoeists to be subject to shipping laws [Times Online]
Bonus "points" for Scots immigrants [BBC News]
Media rules cause "chaos" in family courts [The Guardian]
Trial and error: on current affairs programming [The Guardian]

Paralegal Graduation, April 2009

Some photos from the last Paralegal Graduation at the University of Strathclyde are now on our Facebook page. Check them out, and become our fan!

Legal Links 26/07/09

Times Law 100 2009 published [Times Online]
Nurses in assisted suicide talk [BBC News]
D&W staff back pay cut to save jobs [BBC News]
Parliamentary Standards Bill gains Royal Assent [MoJ]
Non-Muslims turn to Sharia to resolve civil disputes [Times Blog]

The Firm Magazine now on LinkedIn

Network with Scotland's independent magazine for the legal profession on the social networking website here.

And a quick reminder - Society of Specialist Paralegals is on there too!

VACANCY: Rees Page Solicitors, Wolverhampton (Child Care)

REES PAGE SOLICITORS
PARALEGAL – CHILD CARE DEPARTMENT
We are a general practice law firm based in Wolverhampton. We have a successful Child Care Department based at this firm’s Bilston Office and due to the success in developing that department we are looking to recruit a paralegal to work in this field. The position would suit an individual who wishes to specialise in Family and Child Care work and applications are invited from those who have completed their LPC having taken the Family Law Elective.

You will be joining an existing team of two Solicitors who are members of the Law Society’s Children Panel and you will have the opportunity of undertaking an interesting and varied caseload within the area of Child Care, with a potential to undertake some other work within the general field of Family Law.

A clean/full driving licence is essential as attendance at Child Protection Conferences forms an integral part of our service.

Rees Page Solicitors are accredited as an Investor in People and hold the Law Society’s Lexcel Quality Mark.

To apply for this position you will need to send us a full CV, together with a covering letter. The letter should say why you are interested in applying for the position and should give details of your current salary if applicable. The closing date for applications is Monday 31st of August 2009.

The address for the application is:

Rees Page Solicitors
8-12 Waterloo Road
Wolverhampton
West Midlands
WV1 4BL

For the attention of: Mr NS Wynn-Williams
Or by email to: nwynnwilliams@NOSPAMreespage.co.uk.

Legal Links 19/07/09

Legal aid for prisoners to be capped [Times Online]
Scottish sex crime law gets Royal Assent [The Journal]
"Upturn signs" in housing market [BBC News]
Retirement age review brought forward [The Independent]
Lockerbie judicial review claim [BBC News]
UK Supreme Court will be televised [BBC News]
Life peers to get right to resign [BBC News]

Connect with the Society of Specialist Paralegals

You can now keep up with the work of the Society of Specialist Paralegals, and network with our 4,000 qualified Specialist Paralegals, through your favourite social networking websites.

The Society is the alumni association for over 4,000 graduates of the Specialist Paralegal Practitioner Programme in association with two of the UK’s leading law schools – the University of Strathclyde and the University of the West of England. The Society creates a UK-wide network of alumni from both prestigious institutions and promotes the status of qualified Paralegal Practitioners.

This new CLT Paralegal Blog will highlight the latest legal news and exciting developments in paralegal training throughout the UK. Please get in touch if you’d like to make a contribution!

You can also follow us on Twitter, become our fan on Facebook or network with us on LinkedIn for discussion and the latest news delivered directly to you.

The Specialist Paralegal Magazine is due for an exciting relaunch in the autumn. For more information, keep an eye on your mailbox next month for the first of our special newsletters.

Legal Links 08/07/09

Prince William made a barrister [BBC News]
Lords reject assisted dying law [BBC News]
Lesbian couple win £22,000 compensation over work taunts [Telegraph]
Government sets out credit card reforms [The Journal]
G20 police enquiry to criticise handling of protests [The Guardian]
£1,000 fine to bolster ID cards [The Guardian]
Jack Straw launches first mental health courts [Ministry of Justice]