How to Become a Magistrate

A magistrate is a person who can enforce laws to a certain degree in his or her local area. This can be a rewarding job, especially for those who want some experience in the law field. A law degree is not required and magistrates take on smaller charges to free up the judge for bigger cases. This is an excellent field for anyone interested in criminal justice.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• College degree
• Knowledge of the law

1. Know that there is no need to have a formal law degree for this job, but a college degree and knowledge of law is usually necessary. To be able to get this job, you will need to display good characteristics such as reliability, availability, fair judgments, and maturity, among others.

2. Be available for work hours, though you do not need to quit your job, and for training. Training lasts about 18 hours total. Your current job is required to give you time off for your duties as a magistrate, should you be accepted. You must also choose which court you wish to serve because that is where you will apply.

3. Find out when recruitment occurs in your area. This happens at different times, so check to make sure you don't miss it.

4. Visit the magistrates' court for a sitting. You may be asked later on to talk about your visits in an interview, so pay attention. This is to help you figure out if you truly want this job.

5. Complete the magistrate application form (see Resources). Then your application will be reviewed. You will be called back for an interview which, if the first interview goes well, will be followed by a series of more interviews. If you pass these then you will be made an appointment to finish up the interview process. This entire process can take six to 12 months.

Tips & Warnings

• Even though you only need to go to the court for one sitting, two or three will be more beneficial to you. It will look better in your interviews, as well as giving you the chance to see if you truly like the job.

• There are different rules for different areas concerning magistrates. While this is a general article, it is primarily including magistrates in England and Wales.

Resources

• Link to Application Forms and Court Finder