SOUTH Manchester’s newest assistant deputy coroner has been announced as Joanne Kearsley from leading North West law firm Farleys Solicitors.

Joanne from Fence, near Burnley, is an associate partner at the firm which has offices in Manchester, Blackburn, Burnley and Accrington. She specialises in inquests, actions against detaining authorities and personal injury cases.

Joanne will cover cases in Stockport, Tameside and Trafford alongside the coroner John Pollard, who has worked on high profile cases including inquests into the deaths of patients at Tameside Hospital.

She said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as an assistant deputy coroner for South Manchester. It is a challenging position which will involve varied and complex cases, but I am looking forward to getting started in the role.

The coroner has a difficult job in establishing when and where someone died, by what means and making sure the correct decision is made in announcing how they died. I hope that in my new role I will be able to help families find answers at what is a distressing time.”

Deaths are reported to the coroner if they are sudden or unexpected or if the doctor is unable to issue a death certificate. The coroner is then responsible for establishing the cause of death and considering whether to order a post mortem and / or hold an inquest.

Joanne has represented families whose loved ones have died in custody, including at police stations and in prisons. She has worked on a number of cases in the North West including the death of Jolene Willis at HMP Styal, Martin Wilson’s death whilst in custody at Ormskirk magistrate’s court and Wayne Lawrence who was discovered hanging in the back of a police van.

Contact us by e-mail or call us now on 0845 287 0939 to speak with an Inquest Solicitor at Farleys Solicitors LLP.