Another magistrate here. I sit in adult crime and youth crime but don’t do family court.
I’ve been doing it for over 10 years now and the stereotype self-important/ doctors wife type has largely been weeded out.
State school here but I’m pretty sure that your education does
not rule you out of anything nor is it actually asked about! I am self-employed and professionally qualified though which gives me the flexibility to sit. I do claim financial loss allowance for days I sit.
The vast majority of legal advisers are great and they provide invaluable advice. We don’t just make up sentences, there are sentencing guidelines which we need to stick to or explain exactly why we are stepping outside of those guidelines.
For me, I have always been interested in crime and criminal justice and it provides an interesting way to give back and consider the best thing to do in individual cases.
I have visited 4 prisons and it is expected that you visit one as part of your training. It would not be right to send people to prison without actually knowing what they are like. It was eye opening for sure but the young offenders institution was far worse.
While the requirement is a minimum 13 days per year very few sit that little. I do an average of two days a month.
Finally, there will be mass recruitment over the next couple of years due to upcoming extended powers of magistrate’s courts and the increased workload that will bring.