What is Inquests?
An inquest is an inquiry in the Coroner’s Court into how someone died. It is not a trial and decides no one’s guilt. A family, or another interested person, can be represented at the pre-inquest review and at the inquest itself.
Representation of families and interested persons in the Coroner’s Court — pre-inquest review hearings through to the substantive inquest.
Pre-inquest review
Scope is set before the inquest.
The pre-inquest review is where the questions the inquest will examine are decided.
How an inquest works
An inquest is an inquiry into how someone died. It is held in the Coroner’s Court and is required for deaths that are violent, unnatural, or sudden and unexplained. It does not decide guilt or blame; it establishes the facts.
The coroner usually opens with a post-mortem and gathers information through their officers. A pre-inquest review sets the scope, the witnesses, and the timetable; the inquest itself then follows, where witnesses are questioned and a conclusion is reached. Families can take part throughout as interested persons.
How a family is represented
Representation at an inquest is about getting to the truth of what happened. Acting for a family means examining where care or systems may have failed and questioning witnesses to draw out how the death came about.
Much of the groundwork happens before the hearing, at the pre-inquest review, where the scope of the inquiry is decided. The position taken there shapes what the inquest is able to examine.
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Common questions
- Can a family instruct directly?
- Yes. Inquest instructions are accepted under the Direct Access scheme where suitable.
- What is a pre-inquest review?
- It is the procedural hearing that fixes the scope, witnesses, and timetable for the substantive inquest. Position before the PIR matters.
- Is legal aid available for inquests?
- In some cases, yes — typically through a solicitor with a legal aid contract. Astons Law Chambers can refer where this is the right route.
Astons Law Chambers is authorised under the Bar Standards Board's Public Access scheme to accept instructions directly from members of the public. The practice is also authorised to conduct litigation, so the case can be run end-to-end without a separate solicitor. Suitability is assessed during the first call; where a solicitor is needed, Astons Law Chambers will say so and refer where useful.
For matters that qualify for public funding, see how legal aid works at Astons Law Chambers — eligible cases are referred to a partner solicitor firm at no cost.
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