... The forth is maturity and sound temperament. This is a little more complication in the fact magistrates have to remain unaffected by cases and raise themselves above squabbles and so forth. The fifth quality is sound judgement; this is fairly basic as it involves making fact based decisions as well as moral ones. The final key quality is to have good commitment and reliability. This is very important as they are required to commit at least 26 unpaid days of the year to be a magistrate. They also have to be reliable in terms of time management. They also have to live within a 15 mile radius. Most magistrates are lay magistrates and are known as justices of the peace. There are about 30,000 and they sit as benches of 3. They mostly preside over criminal cases, in magistrates courts all over the country. They are appointed by the Lord Chancellor ...

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