Lay magistrates

E780103

Lay magistrates are volunteer, non-legally qualified members of the community who sit in magistrates’ courts to hear and decide minor criminal and some civil cases alongside or instead of professional judges.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Lay Magistrate 1

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf judicial office holder
magistrate
volunteer role
alsoKnownAs justices of the peace
lay justices NERFINISHED
appointedBy the Lord Chancellor NERFINISHED
appointedOnAdviceOf advisory committees
appointmentBasis part-time
benchComposition one presiding justice and two wingers
two lay magistrates minimum
cannotSitInCasesInvolving close relatives or personal acquaintances
country England and Wales NERFINISHED
decidesOn allocation of either-way offences
bail
sentencing for summary offences
existsIn United Kingdom legal system NERFINISHED
hasLegalQualificationRequirement no formal legal qualification required
hearsCasesOfType certain civil matters such as licensing
either-way offences at first appearance
minor criminal offences
some family proceedings
some youth court matters
summary offences
isPaidPosition unpaid
jurisdictionType civil
criminal
mayBeRemovedBy the Lord Chancellor NERFINISHED
minimumAge 18 years
mustBe members of the local community
receives continuing training
expense allowances
initial training
removalGrounds incapacity
incompetence
misconduct
retirementAge 75 years
selectionCriterion commitment and reliability
good character
maturity and sound temperament
social awareness
sound judgement
understanding and communication
sitsIn magistrates’ courts
subjectTo judicial conduct guidelines
judicial oath
supportedBy legal adviser to the court
timeCommitment at least 13 full days or 26 half days per year
trainingProvidedBy Judicial College (England and Wales) NERFINISHED
upperAgeLimitForAppointment 65 years
usuallySitAs bench of three

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Family Court of England and Wales hasJudgeType Lay magistrates
this entity surface form: Lay Magistrate