Irish Times journalist Carol Coulter has been appointed by the Courts Service as its first-ever family law reporter in a one-year pilot project that will break new ground in the Irish legal system.
Ms Coulter is taking leave of absence from her duties as legal affairs correspondent with The Irish Times for the duration of the project. In her new role, she will record and produce reports on family law proceedings with a view to distribution to the media and the public, but without in any way identifying the parties in the case or their families.
The Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004 allowed for the reporting and dissemination of information on family law proceedings, subject to very strict conditions to protect the identity of individuals involved in family law litigation.
A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, Ms Coulter has worked for The Irish Times over the past 20 years and has worked as its legal affairs correspondent for the past seven years.
In 2001 she was awarded the Law Society's Justice Media Award in print journalism for writing on family law.