Your day-to-day duties may include:

• sitting with 2 other magistrates in adult and youth courts
• listening to evidence from witnesses, defendants, complainants and victims
• taking advice from the court legal adviser on points of law
• making judgements and explaining reasons
• considering applications for bail and setting conditions
• passing prison sentences, fines, or community and training orders
• sending more serious cases up to crown court for jury trial
• working in family courts, dealing with cases like adoption or domestic abuse
• mentoring and supporting new magistrates

You may need to wear smart business dress.

You could work in a court or in an office.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.

With experience, you could act as the chairperson or presiding magistrate on a panel of 3 magistrates in court.

You could also specialise in particular courts like the family court, or the youth court, dealing with young people aged between 10 and 17. You could volunteer to mentor new magistrates or apply to sit with judges on panels hearing appeals.

You could also use your experience to join committees advising policy makers on judicial issues, for example prison standards or sentencing guidelines.