header-logo header-logo

29 April 2010 / Malcolm Skinner
Issue: 7415 / Categories: Features , LexisPSL
printer mail-detail

The end of the road?

Malcolm Skinner considers the options available once an inquest has concluded

With the enactment of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (CJA 2009) on 12 November 2009 a substantial reform of the law relating to inquests has begun. Some sections are in force and others will follow, probably in tranches until 2014. One area where there will be a significant change concerns what can be done by relatives of the deceased and others after the inquest has reached a conclusion.

Generally that conclusion is the end of the story but for some there may be dissatisfaction with the result and/or with the conduct of the inquest. Then there is a question of how to challenge either or both. Also there may be a desire to take the result further in terms of civil or criminal remedies.
With parts (relevant to these questions) of the CJA 2009 not likely to be in force for some while the current system and the future bear examination.

Thus the current system permits an appeal via the judicial

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
back-to-top-scroll