BOOK REVIEW: CORONERS’ INVESTIGATIONS AND INQUESTS: SOMETHING WORTH BUYING
Representing a party at an inquest is always a difficult and sensitive task. In addition to dealing with the grief, and sometimes remorse, involved there are myriad of legal and technical rules to be navigated. That is why this new book “Coroners’ Investigations and Inquests” is welcome news to anyone involved in coronial work or fatal accident litigation.
PRACTICAL AND USEFUL
The book is written by an impressive team of authors. There are 24 individual chapters, each of which gives essential guidance on a discrete topic. There is a useful contents section which contains details of chapter sub-headings so the work is easy to navigate.
So, for example, chapter 9 details with funding and costs. It covers everything from the role of the legal representatives to general principles of costs recovery and proportionality.
Chapters include:
- Representing families at inquests.
- Representing organisations at inquests.
- Clinical inquests
- Mental health and mental capacity.
- Workplace deaths.
- Road traffic collision deaths
- Clinical inquests.
- Deaths in custody.
- Inquests and Covid-19.
EASY TO USE AND OF CONSIDERABLE USE
In addition being easy to use this book is of considerable use. If you are representing a family (chapter 10) in a road traffic accident (Chapter 17) then you will have guidance on the type of road collision deaths that require an inquest (most of them); who the “interested persons” are; the pre-inquest review and conduct of the inquest and the impact of criminal proceedings on the inquest (a vexed subject for many since inquests tend to be suspended for years if criminal proceedings are pending).
The text for every chapter is practical and aimed directly at the practitioner.
THE “THREE TESTS” FOR A BOOK REVIEW
- Should I buy it? If you are a practitioner ever likely to be involved in a fatal claim or inquest yes you should.
- Is it value for money? At £139.99 it is not one of the cheaper texts, but it is definitely value for money. It will save hours and gives valuable insights into numerous aspects of dealing with the coroner and inquests.
- Where can I buy it? Here.