Public funding to be introduced for inquests in UK 2

United Kingdom

The Legal Services Commission has issued draft guidance on the basis on which they propose in future to award public legal aid funding for individuals to be represented at inquests. This represents a major change in policy: consumer lobbyists have been pressing for it for many years. Our experience is that claimants and their lawyers often wish to use inquests to fish for evidence to use in subsequent employers' liability, product liability or environmental claims, and the availability of public funding for legal representation at inquests would assist this.

Defending inquests properly is important: CMS Cameron McKenna is unique in having three lawyer/doctors who sit as deputy coroners, and who are highly experienced in representing companies and insurers at inquests.