Have I got what it takes?
You can be a magistrate. You don't need any specific qualifications - we'll give you all the training you need.
As a magistrate, you'll volunteer as part of a small team to help make decisions on cases in criminal or family court. If you can look at a situation from different perspectives, with an open-minded and honest approach – you're the kind of person we're looking for.
Eligibility and skills
You don't need a degree, legal experience or specific qualifications to be a magistrate.
Magistrates are volunteers from all walks of life, who are just like you. If you're open-minded, have a sense of fairness and can communicate with people from all backgrounds, then you've got what it takes to become a magistrate.
Whatever your background and level of education, if you're aged between 18 and 70, you can apply to volunteer. We'll give you all the training you need, as well as ongoing support.
What you can gain personally:
Working in the family or criminal court, you can have a meaningful impact on your wider society. Making decisions on a variety of cases, this voluntary role gives you the opportunity to gain new knowledge and experience that you can take back into your professional and personal life. It's a great way to broaden your horizons too, meeting new people with different backgrounds, experiences and opinions.
Making a difference:
Become a magistrate and you can help create positive change for your local community, while learning new skills and enjoying new challenges. Working in a family or criminal court, you can have a meaningful impact on the lives of individual children and families, and make a difference to wider society. Making decisions on a variety of cases, sharing the responsibility with two other magistrates, this is an interesting, important and respected role. It's a chance to represent your community, take action for good, and help to ensure fair hearings and justice for all.
LBCs Shelagh Fogarty has been speaking to a serving Magistrate – Denise Drury - to find out how people from all walks of life can do the job alongside their current role. With no formal qualifications needed, hear how you too could receive the training and ongoing support to being a Magistrate.
Listen here:
