Coroners' inquests

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An introductory guide to coroners’ inquests

The inquisitorial nature of coroners' inquests is vastly different from the adversarial tribunals in which corporate crime/regulatory lawyers typically find themselves. Practice Note: Coroners' inquests—an introductory guide assists practitioners representing clients before a coroner’s inquest and explains the inquest process in England and Wales as provided under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (CJA 2009). It explains how a coroner is an independent judicial officer, with a statutory duty under CJA 2009, s 1 to hold an investigation into a death when it has been referred as soon as practicable. It examines when a death must be referred to a coroner, when an inquest must take place, the purpose of an inquest, the structure of coroners’ courts, the role of coroners and their duties, the role of Interested Persons (IPs) at an inquest, the role of juries at inquests, and briefly discusses the scope and key features of a coroner’s inquest.

The scope of coroners’ inquests

The ‘scope’ of an inquest refers to how broad and deep an inquiry into a death will be, and will differ based on the facts

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