This book is only available in PDF format

Authors: Judge Neil Maclean, Fletcher Pilditch
Published: 27 August 2015
Pages: 72

Introduction

Occasionally and without warning you may have clients who are in some way affected by a sudden unexpected death and will come into contact with the coronial system. Inevitably this will occur at a time of overwhelming distress and confusion and for lay participants this can be a daunting experience. It can be a time when people need competent objective advice from a trusted source, against a quite urgent time frame.
Questions can arise which this seminar seeks to assist on such as:

• when and why is a Coroner involved?
• who are they and how do you contact them?
• why are police involved and what is their role?
• what is an Inquest?
• what rights do I have?
• what is a post-mortem examination, what does a pathologist do?
• when and to whom will a body be released?
• how can I find out what is going on?
• what’s it all about?

Increasingly lawyers are becoming involved in the coronial system at various stages of the proceedings. Lawyers may appear in the quasi-prosecutorial role of Counsel to Assist, or as counsel for persons or organisations with concerns about or an interest in the outcome.