The Ninth Annual Leeming Lecture24/10/2026
The Ninth Annual Leeming Lecture
Doctors for the Living; Doctors for the Dead
Professor Paul Marks – Retired HM Senior Coroner
Tuesday 10 November 2026 | 5.00 pm (GMT) | Online on MS Teams
Hosted by the Centre for Contemporary Coronial Law, University of Greater Manchester
The Centre for Contemporary Coronial Law at the University of Greater Manchester is delighted to invite colleagues from across the coronial, legal, medical and wider professional communities, together with anyone with an interest in coronial law, death investigation and medico-legal practice, to attend the Ninth Annual Leeming Lecture.
This year's lecture will be delivered by Professor Paul Marks, retired HM Senior Coroner for the City of Kingston upon Hull and the County of the East Riding of Yorkshire, who brings extensive experience of both coronial practice and clinical medicine.
Professor Marks served as a coroner for more than two decades, having first held coronial office in West Yorkshire in 2004. Before his appointment as Senior Coroner, he enjoyed a distinguished career spanning more than 30 years in neurosurgery, working in Cambridge, Auckland and Leeds. He is also a Past President of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM).
About the lecture
Entitled 'Doctors for the Living; Doctors for the Dead', the lecture takes inspiration from Dr Richard Shepherd's book The Seven Ages of Death, exploring the distinctions and common ground between doctors who care for the living and those whose work involves investigating death.
Drawing upon his experiences as both a neurosurgeon and Senior Coroner, Professor Marks will reflect on the professional, ethical and practical challenges associated with these roles. Through a selection of anonymised cases, he will consider how both disciplines, despite their differing responsibilities, share a fundamental commitment to serving the living and the dead.
The lecture (delivered by MS Teams) promises to offer valuable insights for coroners, coroners' officers, legal and medical practitioners, academics, students and others interested in the coronial system and the investigation of death.
About the Leeming Lecture
Now in its ninth year, the Annual Leeming Lecture is held in memory of Professor Jennifer Leeming, founder and first Honorary Director of the Centre for Contemporary Coronial Law. Her commitment to advancing education, research and professional practice in coronial law continues to underpin the Centre's work.
Further information and registration
The lecture is open to all with an interest in the subject, and everyone is warmly welcome to attend.
Register for the Ninth Annual Leeming Lecture
For further enquiries, please contact the Centre for Contemporary Coronial Law at Coroniallaw@greatermanchester.ac.uk.
We look forward to welcoming you to this year's lecture.
Centre for Contemporary Coronial Law
University of Greater Manchester
Dr Alicia Danielsson
BA, LLB, PGCert, GradD, LLM, PhD, FHEA
Assistant Teaching Professor in Law,
Head of Centre
Centre for Contemporary Coronial Law
University of Greater Manchester
Deane Road, Bolton, BL3 5AB
T: +44 (0)1204 903918
E: A.Danielsson@greatermanchester.ac.uk
