- What happens when a client instructs a solicitor to investigate a death.
- Why coroners' reports should be used to prevent future deaths.
The client instructs the solicitor in respect of a death, usually the death of a family member. An inquest was held, and a good deal of useful information emerged. The coroner made a report, sent to the chief coroner, and also usually a third party, indicating how such a death might be prevented in future. Where a senior coroner has been conducting an investigation into a death, anything revealed by the investigation gives rise to a concern that circumstances creating a risk of other deaths will occur, and, in the coroner’s opinion, action should be taken to prevent the occurrence or continuation of such circumstances, or to eliminate or reduce the risk of death created by such circumstances, the addressee of the report must give a written response and a copy of the report and the response must be sent to the chief coroner (Coroners
