A lawyer can withdraw from an inquest due to conflict of interest.
Say, if O'Brien was representing Spedding and also representing Margaret (I am not sure if that is the case).
A lawyer can only really represent one party in an inquest. I think that if he was seen to be giving Margaret advice, it may have been seen as representing her - whether in an official capacity or not.
Coroners, like other judicial officers, have a duty to maintain the integrity of the court’s process. If a coroner is satisfied that a conflict of interest has emerged, he or she should require the lawyer to withdraw and, if necessary, give his or her clients an adjournment in which to seek fresh representation.
The option of allowing the lawyer to elect is not open because once he or she has taken instructions from the two persons whose interests conflict, he or she has privileged information relating to the person he or she no longer represents.
Coronial matters