Jervis on Coroners

Commendable Clarity

'AN ABSTRUSE AND DIFFICULT SUBJECT':
PRESENTED WITH COMMENDABLE CLARITY FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY- NOW IN A NEW FOURTEENTH EDITION

An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor MA of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers, Reviews Editor, "The Barrister", and Mediator


To say that 'Jervis on Coroners' is a classic legal text is something of an understatement. The first edition by Sir John Jervis was published in 1829, which means that before the end of this third decade of the 21st century, a devoted readership will have cause to celebrate its 200th anniversary.

Yes, it's venerable. But by dint of continuous and timely updating over almost two centuries, it remains forever young - up to the minute in fact - and here it is in a new edition from Sweet & Maxwell, presided over by general editor, Paul Matthews, who has been charged with the authorship of the book since 1984, when he was persuaded, in his words, to take on the 10th edition 'over a very agreeable lunch at the Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street.'

However, as successive editions grew ever larger, Paul Matthews decided that a team of specialists should be assembled to assist under his general editorship. This apparently, turned out to be no easy task, as lawyers who specialise in this area and write about it are 'comparatively rare'. Nonetheless, readers of this edition can now benefit from the combined expertise of a team of solicitors, barristers, media practitioners and coroners 'even a former Chief Coroner'.

This book, as the editorial team asserts, is about 'the law and practice relating to certain types of death investigation in England and Wales,' as 'every death occurring in our society is considered a significant event, with a number of important consequences.' The salient facts include the identity of the deceased and when, where and how the death occurred.

Divided into seven parts within its almost 800 pages, including seven appendices, this book covers the full spectrum of the consequences and ramifications of death. Parts I and II deal with the office of Coroner and the process of coronial investigation, including the powers of the coroner prior to inquest.

Part III examines the inquest itself, followed by Part IV on special cases, including issues relevant to homicide and major disasters and - pertinent to our times - notifiable diseases. Matters post inquest are examined in Part V, which also covers statutory review and judicial review - and Part VI provides illuminating commentary on the international dimension, with the focus on human rights.

As noted in the Foreword by Lord Burnett, Lord Chief Justice, this new edition has undergone significant updating since the previous edition of 2014, including specific cases, recent legislation and a range of particularly relevant topics, from unnatural death and homicide cases, to treatment of witnesses at inquests. Also, of note are the new sections on the treatment of gender identity and data protection.

For practitioners as well as researchers needing to find facts fast, this is a thorough and easily navigable work of reference with a detailed table of contents, numbered paragraphs and an index of almost 30 pages. Also note the extensive tables of cases, statutes, statutory instruments, and civil procedure rules followed by tables of national legislation and international conventions. Finally, there is a table of Chief Coroner's guidance.

Fortunately for any professional involved in the coroners' jurisdiction, the book has been and still is, the definitive text on this challenging area of law ('an abstruse and difficult subject' warned Sir John Jervis.) No doubt it will continue to remain so for the foreseeable future.

The publication date of this hardback fourteenth edition is cited as at 31st December 2019.