... person in the committee should be from each major political party and some members who should be politically independent. Also one third of the committee should not be Lay Magistrates meaning that they will have to have some legal qualifications. The names of potential Lay Magistrates can be put though by anyone but most of the time they are put forward via the different political parties, trade unions or businesses. There are also adverts in local papers which are aimed at ethnic minorities. People who are not eligible to become Lay Magistrates are bailiffs and CPS employees because they will have some legal qualifications. Others that are not eligible are members of the forces, serving police officers and store detectives because sometimes the cases can last from anything up to a month. In those jobs you might be called up to do something whist on a case which would mean that ...

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