Inquest Investigation Procedures for Legal Professionals Training

Learning Outcomes

• Apply the legal framework governing inquest investigations in South Africa
• Analyze evidence and witness statements to establish facts
• Evaluate the cause and circumstances of death in accordance with legal requirements
• Demonstrate proper procedures for scene management and evidence preservation
• Compile comprehensive inquest investigation reports
• Implement ethical and professional standards throughout the investigation process

Target Audience

This course is designed for legal practitioners, including attorneys, advocates, paralegals, and legal advisors, who are involved in or responsible for conducting inquest investigations.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment. However, a basic understanding of South African legal principles is recommended.

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

The practicals are designed to give legal professionals hands-on experience in handling evidence, conducting witness examinations, and participating in a simulated inquest hearing. These exercises bridge theory and practice, reinforcing procedural and evidentiary skills in a controlled environment.

Practical Activities

• Evidence Bundle Compilation — Learners receive a case file and must compile an evidence bundle, including medical reports, scene photos, and witness statements, ensuring proper indexing and chain of custody documentation. (2h)
• Witness Examination Simulation — In pairs, learners conduct examination-in-chief and cross-examination of a witness (played by an actor) based on a simulated death scenario, with feedback from the facilitator. (3h)
• Mock Inquest Hearing — A full mock inquest is conducted with learners taking roles as magistrate, prosecutor, legal representatives, and witnesses, culminating in the delivery of findings and recommendations. (4h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	35% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.