Lay Magistrates. Lay Magistrates deal with the vast majority of criminal cases in the English Legal System.

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Lay magistrates:

What are lay magistrates?:Lay Magistrates deal with the vast majority of criminal cases in the English Legal System. All criminal cases start in the Magistrates' Court and around one million cases a year are heard by Magistrates.They uphold the important principle in our legal system of trial by one's peers. One of the great strengths of the English legal system is the participation of ordinary people in the administration of justice. The other area where this is seen in the criminal justice system is in the Crown Court where juries are used.

How lay magistrates appointed?:There are approximately 29,000 Lay Magistrates in England and Wales .(In 2005 there were 28,253 Lay Magistrates) They are unpaid volunteers and they work part time - 26 half days per year. Lay Magistrates are appointed by the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and the Lord Chancellor on the advice of the Local Advisory Committees.Lay Magistrates do not need to have any formal legal qualifications. There are however some requirements which were set out by the Lord Chancellor in 1998. These are known as the six key qualities, and are as follows;

good character

understanding and