Legal medicine, also known as forensic medicine or medical jurisprudence, is the branch of medicine that applies medical and scientific knowledge to questions of law. A key component of this field is the coroner’s inquest: a non-adversarial judicial proceeding aimed at establishing how and why a person died. Often described as the oldest court in England, the coroner’s inquest continues to occupy a vital position in society, attracting widespread public attention in high-profile or socially traumatic deaths. The CMEL research cluster on Legal Medicine and Coroners’ Practice examines Hong Kong’s coroner system from both historical and comparative perspectives, exploring its broader social purposes, institutional interactions, and underlying foundations. More information is available on the personal profile pages of Prof Trevor Wan and Dr Ria Sinha.