Death and the Law

It’s not something most of us think about - and it’s not something most of us want to think about, but sooner or later it’s something we’ll all encounter.

When someone passes away - legally, what do you have to do?

It’s not immediately obvious, nobody really talks about it, and there a whole host of legal obligations that have to be considered, from declaring the death, to the circumstances when a coroner becomes involved.

And then there’s a dead person’s estate and the grant of probate. In this episode, Dr Joelle Grogan and a team of experts will guide you through the process.

Also on the programme:

A teenage boy recently lost a High Court case against his parents. He was unhappy that they had placed him in a Ghanaian boarding school because they feared that he was becoming involved in criminal activity in London.

The case rested on parental responsibility, and the judge ruled that their actions were within the scope of decisions that parents can make - and that the state shouldn't intervene.

But what is "parental responsibility" and is there a situation where a child can divorce their parents?

Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan Producer: Ravi Naik Editor: Tara McDermott

Contributors: Rachel Roche, from Roche Legal in York Dr Imogen Jones, Associate Professor in Law at the University of Leeds Melinda Giles, Law Society Council member and part of their Wills & Equity Committee Tracey Moloney, from Moloney Family Solicitors