A pilot scheme where a solicitor or barrister would take notes of family law cases and make the report available to the legal profession and the press was being considered, the family law conference was told. Ms Jennifer Curry, a Dublin solicitor, said the pilot project was planned for the Dublin Circuit Courts. The proposal was made by Ms Justice Denham in her report on the courts and, it is understood, is now being considered by a family law sub-committee under her chairmanship.
Ms Nuala Jackson BL said she favoured a pilot project but was opposed to media reporting of family law cases. Lawyers needed to know the likely out-turn of a case, and for this reason needed the basic details of every case - not just in Dublin, as planned in the pilot project. This came down to resources, she said. "We need some sort of system where we can put together information on all cases without identifying the parties."
The main purpose of litigation must be to get a fair resolution to marital problems, she said, but publicity might well distort the chances of agreement.
Referring to media reporting, she said there were two types of reporting - that which sought to inform the public and that which sought flashy headlines. On informing the public, there was no reason to think that the reporting of isolated cases would make the public any the wiser.
"At the end of the day they could just be more misinformed," she said.
To inform the public, the media needed what the lawyers needed - a neutral collation of the facts.
Mr Randall Doherty, the Family Lawyers' Association chairman, said reporting of family law cases was also important as part of scrutinising the judiciary.