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Mental Health Law Online

The internet resource on mental health law, and mental capacity law, for England & Wales. You can sign up for free email updates, the online forum and the CPD scheme (which provides 12 hours for £75 and is suitable for lawyers and non-lawyers). You can advertise your job vacancies and events here, or browse the bookshop. The main content of this website has been divided into Case law (2,487), Legislation (393) and Resources (1,140), together with separate Information pages (335) to link everything together.

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Contacts

The Magic Book is a database of contact details which currently contains 329 pages.

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  News and updates

All the latest updates can be seen on on the MHLO updates forum category. The five most recent appear here. See also the "To do" list below.

• 18/07/25: Mental capacity law newsletter. 39 Essex Chambers, 'Mental Capacity Report' (issue 152, July 2025) — "Highlights this month include: (1) In the Health, Welfare and Deprivation of Liberty Report: what to do when an advance decision to refuse treatment may be in play, and the consequences of the gaps between services for those with disordered eating; (2) In the Property and Affairs Report: capacity in the rear view mirror: how does the presumption work?; (3) In the Practice and Procedure Report: disclosing position statements to observers; habitual residence, moving jurisdictions and ‘lawful authority;’ and the impact on P of being assessed; (4) In the Mental Health Matters Report: progress of the Mental Health Bill and the tort consequences of a finding of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity; (5) In the Children’s Capacity Report: a depressing snapshot from the national DoL court, human rights of children in the social care system and capacity and gender-affirming treatment; (6) In the Wider Context Report: the Oliver McGowan statutory learning disability and autism training, and the pitfalls of facilitated communication (7) In the Scotland Report: joint attorneys in dispute: appropriate remedies and; “If at first you don’t succeed ...”: res judicata in tribunal proceedings."

• 03/07/25: Case (No complaint without consent). West Sussex County Council (24 017 091) [2025] MHLO 15 (LGSCO) — Ombudsman's summary: "We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s response to safeguarding and other actions relating to Mrs X’s mental capacity assessment. This is because we do not have consent from Mrs X to investigate, and nor do we believe Mrs Y can make a complaint about these actions, on Mrs X’s behalf, as her representative."

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To do

Things that will end up with their own MHLO pages, when I have time...

• 15/07/25: His Majesty's Senior Coroner for West Yorkshire (Western District), Re [2025] EWHC 1672 (Admin)^B (03 July 2025)†

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  CPD

The CPD scheme is primarily aimed at mental health solicitors, and is an ideal way to evidence your continued competence, but is also suitable for barristers, psychiatrists, social workers and psychiatric nurses. For £60, you can obtain 12 CPD credits.

Jobs

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• Mental health panel member seeking agency work (listed until 5 September 2025)

Events

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• MHLA: Conducting face-to-face hearings and basic case law for tribunals (Leeds, 9 September 2025)
• MHLA: Refresher and Re-accreditation course (online, 15 September 2025)
• MHLA: Foundation course (London, 7 October 2025)
• MHLA: Refresher and Re-accreditation course (online, 27 October 2025)

Books

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