As her time at finishing school in Switzerland drew to a close, Carol Ellis decided her carpe diem moment had come. The legal world was where her real interest lay and, with that in mind, she turned her attention to Latin in order to apply for a law degree at University College London. After arriving as an undergraduate, she made a name for herself in the law faculty — partly, though, because she was such a keen bridge player that she would sometimes skip her lectures by climbing out of a window at the back of the hall to play bridge.
She was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1951 but the following year became a law reporter for The Times, the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales (ICLR) and other journals. She was made an “appointed” reporter for the ICLR in 1954 and progressed steadily, becoming editor in 1976. The publications she oversaw included The Weekly Law Reports, The Law Reports and The Industrial Cases Reports.
Carol Jacqueline Ellis was born in 1929 and educated at the Abbey School, Reading, before being sent to Lausanne on the shores of Lake Geneva. In 1957 she married Ralph Gilmore, a dentist, whom she introduced to good food and wine. In return he shared with her his interest in cars and classical music. They had two sons: Jeremy, who became a computer and software consultant; and David, who retired as a business systems analyst with JP Morgan in 2012.
A meticulous reporter and an able editor, Ellis always paid close attention to style as well as content. She was responsible for introducing IT to The Law Reports, and she headed a campaign to index and publish The Law Reports — and associated journals — in electronic format. This ultimately resulted in a portfolio of CDs and DVDs, as well as online access. She took silk in 1980, and was later appointed CBE for services to the legal profession. She ceased to be editor of The Weekly Law Reports in 1990, but continued as editor of The Law Reports until 1996.
After her husband’s death she travelled and made a second home in Florence, where she visited art galleries and spent time relaxing. She studied for a diploma in the history of art (2002) and an MA in Italian Renaissance art (2005) at UCL, where she was given a standing ovation by her fellow students when she went up to receive her degree.
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Carol Ellis, QC, CBE, editor and law reporter, was born on May 6, 1929. She died on July 16, 2015, aged 86