Expert Evidence
for Coroners & Inquests
Our chambers prepares psychiatric and forensic pathology expert witness reports for coroner court inquests under CPR Part 35, ensuring impartial, court-focused evidence that meets the procedural timetable and Article 2 obligations where engaged.
Expert evidence
for coroner court inquests
Our chambers accepts instructions for inquest expert witness reports from solicitors, barristers, and coroner court legal teams preparing for Article 2 and non-Article 2 inquests across England and Wales.
Members of our chambers provide psychiatric and forensic pathology expert evidence under CPR Part 35, ensuring reports are impartial, proportionate, and focused on assisting the coroner court rather than any instructing party. We prepare forensic pathology inquest reports and psychiatric expert witness inquest reports that address causation, mental health context, and systemic failings where relevant.
Our reports are structured to meet the coroner’s procedural timetable and are delivered with a clear duty to the court, as required by CPR 35.3 and Practice Direction 35.
When to instruct
an inquest expert witness uk
Our chambers prepares expert reports for coroner court inquests where psychiatric or forensic pathology evidence is required to assist the coroner in determining the cause of death or systemic failings.
Article 2 inquest expert
Cases where the state’s positive obligations under Article 2 ECHR are engaged, requiring expert evidence on systemic failings, mental health care standards, or preventable deaths in custody or care.
Psychiatric expert witness inquest
Inquests involving mental health conditions, suicide, or deaths where psychiatric history is material to causation, including cases under the Mental Health Act 1983.
Forensic pathology inquest report
Deaths requiring forensic pathology expertise to determine cause, including toxicology, trauma analysis, and post-mortem findings for coroner court proceedings.
Multi-agency failings
Inquests where multiple agencies (NHS, police, social care) are involved, requiring expert evidence on systemic oversight and duty of care breaches.
Deaths in custody
Inquests into deaths in police custody, prison, or immigration detention, where expert psychiatric or forensic evidence is required to assess causation and systemic issues.
Suicide and self-harm
Cases where psychiatric expert evidence is needed to assess mental state, risk factors, and whether systemic failings contributed to the death.
Complex medical causation
Inquests involving disputed medical causation, where expert evidence is required to clarify the role of pre-existing conditions, treatment, or neglect.
Vulnerable individuals
Deaths involving vulnerable claimants (learning disabilities, autism, dementia) where expert evidence is needed to assess capacity, care standards, and systemic safeguarding.
Our chambers does not prepare reports for criminal trials, civil litigation unrelated to inquests, or general medical negligence claims outside the coroner court process. We focus solely on expert evidence for inquest proceedings under CPR Part 35.
Designed for
coroner court timetables
Our chambers coordinates expert witness instructions to align with coroner court procedural deadlines, ensuring reports are delivered in time for pre-inquest reviews and final hearings.
Single point of contact
One named coordinator manages all instructions, ensuring seamless communication between instructing parties, experts, and coroner court teams.
CPR Part 35 compliance
All reports adhere to CPR 35.3, Practice Direction 35, and Civil Justice Council 2014 Guidance, ensuring impartiality and court-focused evidence.
Proportional scope setting
Scope is agreed at instruction, balancing the coroner’s requirements with proportionality, avoiding unnecessary examinations or record reviews.
Timetable discipline
Deadlines are set at instruction and held, with proactive updates if delays arise. Urgent Part 35 responses are prioritised where required.
Joint expert meetings
Our experts participate in joint meetings under CPR 35.12 where ordered by the coroner, ensuring collaborative and impartial evidence.
Article 2 compliance
Reports for Article 2 inquests address systemic failings, state obligations, and preventability, with reference to ECHR standards where relevant.
Questions from
instructing legal teams
Do your experts provide evidence for Article 2 inquests?
Yes. Our chambers prepares expert reports for Article 2 inquests, addressing systemic failings, state obligations, and preventability under the ECHR. Reports are structured to assist the coroner in determining whether the state breached its positive duties.
What qualifications do your inquest expert witnesses hold?
Our members are consultant psychiatrists on the GMC Specialist Register, forensic pathologists, or chartered psychologists with HCPC registration. All hold MRCPsych, FRCPath, or BPS Chartered status and have extensive experience in coroner court proceedings.
How do you ensure reports comply with CPR Part 35?
All reports are prepared under CPR 35.3, Practice Direction 35, and Civil Justice Council 2014 Guidance. Our experts prioritise duty to the court over any instructing party, ensuring impartiality and clarity in evidence.
Can you provide a desktop opinion before full examination?
Yes. Desktop reviews are available where the coroner court timetable or proportionality requires it. These opinions focus on key issues, such as causation or systemic failings, without full examination.
What is the turnaround time for an inquest expert witness report?
Standard turnaround is 6–10 weeks from receipt of full records, subject to expert availability and case complexity. Urgent reports can be prioritised where the coroner court timetable demands it.
Do your experts attend inquest hearings?
Yes. Our experts are available to attend inquest hearings to give oral evidence where required by the coroner. This is arranged at the instruction stage and confirmed in the report.