Public Inquiries & People - Looking Beyond the Legal Process

Introduction

Justice inevitably looks different for different people. Some perceive justice as being attainable from criminal prosecutions, or successful civil claims. Others may not believe that justice is possible through formal legal processes at all.

What role do public inquiries have in this debate? Public inquiries concern matters of grave public concern and are unique in the way they straddle both legal and political spheres, engaging the wider public interest.

Does the public inquiry mechanism present new and innovative opportunities to offer more to those directly affected, in terms of truth finding, accountability and healing, beyond the confines of traditional legal processes?

This webinar will consider how practitioners can re-centre the needs of those affected, throughout the inquiry process in order to command their trust and confidence - and that of the wider public.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• How can we centre the needs of those directly impacted and why is this important in formal legal processes?
• What might a more flexible and holistic model for public inquiries that puts those directly affected, look like in practice in terms of legal process, evidence gathering and witness handling?
• How can lawyers working on public inquiries adopt a more ‘people centred’ approach?

This webinar was recorded on 27th October 2022