Mary Jerram is the State Coroner of New South Wales

Coroner's Court of New South Wales

The name of "Coroners Court" is the generic name given to proceedings in which a Coroner holds an inquest or an inquiry in New South Wales. Coroners have jurisdiction over the remains of a person and the power to make findings in respect of the cause of death of a person...

. She was appointed by New South Wales Government Attorney-General John Hatzistergos

John Hatzistergos

John Hatzistergos is a former Australian politician who was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council representing the Australian Labor Party between 1999 and 2011...

, with the announcement made on 3 May, 2007. Mary Jerram replaced John Abernethy and is the first female State Coroner of New South Wales. Prior to this appointment, Mary Jerram had a career as solicitor

Solicitor

Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...

 and later a magistrate

Magistrate

A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...

 for almost 13 years, being the former Deputy Chief Magistrate of the Local Court of New South Wales

Local Court of New South Wales

There are over 160 Local Courts in New South Wales. Local Court cases are heard by a magistrate without a jury. It hears summary offences as well as indictable offences and committal hearings. It hears civil claims up to $100,000 and has a Small Claims Division for claims less than $10,000. It...

. Whilst the Deputy Chief Magistrate, Mary Jerram provided advise with regards to legislative and other proposals of assistance to the New South Wales Government and also education for other magistrates. Mary Jerram will be assisted by Deputy State Coroner Paul MacMahon and started in the position on 7 May, 2007.