Your part in the law
13 September 2012
Lay magistrates play a vital role in their communities and in return are given an invaluable CPD opportunity - it’s not just for retired colonels
Many people do not realise that most of the cases heard in magistrates’ courts are dealt with by local volunteers. Lay magistrates provide the backbone of the criminal justice system, dealing with more than 96 per cent of all criminal cases - about 1.5 million each year.
Although there are many offences that magistrates deal with daily - shoplifting, drink-...