Hillsborough families today welcomed the announcement that the first stage of fresh inquests into the deaths of their loved ones will be held next month.
A pre-inquest hearing will be held in London on April 25.
The Post can reveal that Christina Lambert QC, who specialises in clinical negligence and inquests, will be the lead barrister to the inquest.
She will perform a questioning role, similar to that Robert Jay QC during the Leveson inquiry.
She will be supported by barrister Jonathan Hough, who includes professional liability in his area of expertise.
Law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse will handle the administration of the inquest.
The pre-hearing will decide the location and timings of the new inquests.
Jenni Hicks, deputy chair of Hillsborough Family Support Group, said: "It is great to have a date for this first stage.
"We have been waiting 24 years to get to where we want to get to."
There will be a live video link to Liverpool during the hearing.
Elkan Ambrahamson, of Liverpool-based law firm Broudie Jackson Canter, who acts for the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, said: "Having the date for the hearing is a great start. It is the first step in the process."
He believed the inquest could take between six months and a year to conduct.
He said the timings of when the inquest could get under way would depend on what the Independent Police Complaints Commission and Jon Stoddart, who is conducting a criminal inquiry, said.
Director of public prosecutions Keir Starmer has previously told the Post he sees no reason why the inquest should be delayed by the separate investigations.
The move comes after the original verdicts were quashed by the high court in December after an application by Attorney General Dominic Grieve.
In September the Hillsborough Independent Panel's report said 41 of the people who died in the 1989 tragedy could have been saved.
Concerns were raised over various aspects of the original inquest process, including the 3.15pm cut-off imposed by then-coroner Dr Stefan Popper.
A spokesman for the inquests said: "The families and other interested parties have today been sent letters informing them that a pre-inquest hearing will take place in London on April 25.
"As the letters make clear, the coroner will hear submissions on the timing and location of the inquests themselves before making any decision. Further details and arrangements for press and public attendance will be issued shortly."
Source: Daily Post
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