UK Government, Ministry of Justice want Sheffield people to become court magistrates - how to apply

No legal experience or qualifications are needed to volunteer as a magistrate as each person will work closely with two others in each hearing, advised closely by a legal advisor offering guidance on the law. Magistrates are given “robust training” as part of their first year in the role to develop their skills and legal knowledge.

As part of the recruitment push, a number of serving magistrates are sharing their experiences in the role. Nicholas is a driving instructor in Sheffield, who has been a magistrate for 13 years. He said: “I love representing my local community and coming away from a day in court knowing the decisions I’ve helped make, will improve the lives of people who live in my area.

"I encourage people from all walks of life to join the bench – the more life experience we can bring to making the important decisions that we do in court, the better. Anyone volunteering will get so much out of it too – learning new skills and meeting great new people.”

According to magistrates.judiciary.uk, those who volunteer to be magistrates will “hear arguments from both the prosecution and the defense before deciding on the best course of action” and will decide on cases that can include: domestic abuse, drug offences, motoring offences, theft, assaults and public order offences. Magistrates can impose sentences of up to 12 months custody, as well as, unlimited fines, bans and community orders.