Attending an inquest hearing: A practical guide for families

This guide focuses on the practicalities of attending the inquest hearing. If you would like to understand more about the inquest process from start to finish please see our dedicated page here.

There is no obligation for you to attend the inquest at all, unless you are being called as witness. However, we find that most family members wish to be involved in the process to better understand what happened to their loved one.

You should assume that the hearing will take place in person unless told otherwise.

Some coroners will allow remote attendance but this is on a discretionary basis and should not be assumed.

If you prefer to attend the inquest remotely, permission will need to be obtained from the coroner’s court in advance. If there is a particular reason for the request, such as significant travel time, professional or childcare commitments, then it will help if you set this out with your request. If you have legal representation they can advise further on this.

There is no dress code for Interested Persons attending an inquest, however we generally recommend wearing something relatively smart and plain if possible, given the formal and sombre nature of the proceedings. It is also sensible to consider something relatively comfortable, particularly as you may be sitting down for long periods.

Your legal team will agree a sensible time to meet you before the hearing, which will usually be a little earlier so that you have the time to familiarise yourself with the venue and to discuss any outstanding issues before the hearing starts.

We always recommend planning to arrive with plenty of time to spare so you avoid any last minute delays and to ensure you don’t arrive in a rush or panicking about whether you will arrive on time.

On arrival, you will usually be required to sign in at reception and from there you will be taken to the correct place to await the hearing. Many courts have a family room, or other meeting space, available where you can talk with your legal team or other family members in private before the hearing starts and during breaks in the day.

You may wish to bring a pen and paper for taking notes. As well as being useful for taking your own notes, it can be a helpful way of passing comments or questions to your legal team during the hearing without disrupting them.

You may also wish to take a copy of the hearing bundle with you, either in hard copy, or electronically on a laptop or tablet device.

Yes, you can bring someone with you.

As with anyone attending the inquest, it is important they understand the nature of the proceedings and respect the formality of the hearing.

If you anticipate several friends or family members joining, it is sensible to give the court advance notice of the group size, to check they have adequate space for everyone. Some court rooms are much smaller than others.

The environment is dictated largely by the facilities available to that coroner’s court. Often this takes place in a room in a council building, though some are in dedicated court buildings with plenty of courtrooms. The latter tends to be more formal but usually better suited for the practicalities of the hearing.

Irrespective of the location, the room will follow a standard format. At the front, there will be a desk or bench, where the coroner sits. There will also be a witness box, which is a dedicated space for a witness to sit when giving their evidence, so they can address the coroner and the Interested Persons.

Interested Persons and their representatives sit near the front, facing the coroner.

Wider family and friends, witnesses and any members of the public or press would then use remaining seating, usually further back from the people directly involved in the hearing.

If you have representation, your lawyer will ensure that you are well positioned to be able to provide instructions to them during the hearing.

Where possible, it can help to ask to see the room before the hearing starts so you know what to expect and understand where different people will be in the room.

The people in attendance at an inquest hearing will vary, but typically include:

• Interested Persons and their legal representatives;
• witnesses due to give evidence;
• family and friends of those involved;
• members of the public;
• members of the press.

The coroner should be addressed as ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’.

It is customary for everyone in court to stand up when the coroner enters or leaves the room. You will be notified by court staff when to do this.

This depends on whether you have legal representation acting for you and whether you are attending as a witness.

If you are an Interested Person and you have legal representation, they will advocate for you during the hearing. They will address the coroner and ask questions of witnesses on your behalf, so you needn’t address the court directly. You will have discussed the case at length before the day of the hearing and they will have your instructions on what issues you wish to cover and the approach for questioning different witnesses.

If you are an Interested Person but you do not have legal representation, you will be able to ask questions of the other witnesses and make submissions to the coroner about the case yourself. It can be daunting to ask questions in an inquest, especially if the other Interested Persons are legally represented. The coroner should help facilitate your participation in the hearing and should help by explaining any medical or technical terms to you.

If you have been called to attend the inquest as a witness then you should expect to be asked questions by the coroner and, possibly, the other Interested Persons or jurors.

No. You must not make any recordings, either audio or video, on your phone or any other device. Doing so could constitute a criminal offence.

A recording will be available to the Interested Persons after the hearing, which you can request from the court.

Understandably, it is not uncommon for family members to become upset during the course of an inquest hearing.

If you wish to leave the room to compose yourself then the hearing will be paused for you to do this. If you would rather the hearing proceed without you there then you should let the court know.

The coroner and legal representatives will be careful with how they refer to particular parts of the evidence, and will try to minimise including any distressing elements unless strictly relevant to the case, but unfortunately there are still likely to be parts which are difficult for loved ones to hear.

If there’s a particular part of the evidence which you don’t wish to be in court for then you can ask that you are given advance notice so you can leave the room for that part.

Court sitting hours are typically between about 10am and 4pm each day, though this varies depending on coroner preference, witness availability, courtroom capacity and so on.

In hearings of more than a half day, there will usually be regular breaks throughout. Typically you would expect a break mid-morning and mid-afternoon as well as a longer break at lunch.

If you have any additional requirements, due to illness, injury, transport arrangements or caring commitments then let the court know at the earliest opportunity so they can consider how they can best accommodate your needs.

If you have questions about attending an inquest, or would like to discuss legal support for the hearing, specialist legal advice can help you feel more confident and informed. An experienced inquest lawyer will guide you through the process, explain what to expect, and ensure your voice is heard and give you the best chance of obtaining the answers you seek about the death.