My personal opinon is that they are;
Uneducated social climbers..
Simply because they require a Court Clerk to outline legal principles for them, they have approximately 4 weeks legal training [ It is not a prerequisite to attend Law school..... ]
.....And they tend to boast about an occupation which is essentially unskilled.
2007-05-30 01:54:24 · 16 answers · asked by triptipper 3 in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment ➔ Law & Legal
BTW I am not knocking unskilled occupations.. simply those people who like to elevate themselves simply because their profession is seen as being respected... i.e Magistrates.
...and no.. I have never been arrested or gone before a magistrate before..... LOL
2007-05-30 01:59:09 · update #1
From what I've seen recently they seem to be in the Dark Ages, looking down on working class people whilst elevating those they consider 'superior', I would think if they were seen to be expressing such judgemental views the district they live in would be interested to know because surely views expressed would have a bearing on a person right to be heard fairly and without prejudice.
I just gave you your 100th star
2007-05-30 05:33:13 · answer #1 · answered by Eden* 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
My dad's a Magistrate, he's also a civilian pilot that trains the Military. He's been a pilot since the 70's (RAF), flying Vulcans, fought in the Falklands War, lived in Saudi Arabia for 10 years training pilots, also was in the Gulf War (91). He is continually going on courses and loves his job as a Magistrate. He has always had a strong interest in law and Politics. I know this is your personal opinion, but my Dad is not uneducated, he is extremely intelligent and did not become a Magistrate to be a Social climber but to pursue his interest in this area. I suppose in your area of work you see people becoming magistrates for the reasons you are stating, but they are not all like it. I'm proud of my dad for what he has achieved in his life.
2007-05-30 12:03:40 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
They should have more than four weeks of legal training. It would be a good position for lawyers to rotate through during their years of law practice.....you know like community service, every lawyer in practice, defensive, prosecutors etc. should serve as Magistrate for one month every 5 years. This would ensure that a person with appropriate schooling is in the position and keeps the position from becoming subject to corruption (in theory).
2007-05-30 09:08:15 · answer #3 · answered by Barbiq 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
It’s an unpaid job. All they get is a cheque to cover their travelling expenses!
They are, essentially, volunteers to society so be thankful!
And if you know magistrates that boast about their job then dislike them, not every magistrate because the judiciary relies on them.
2007-05-30 11:00:19 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
An ex-colleague on mine was a magistrate and he didn't fit that description. He told me that they were trying to encourage people from a wider range of backgrounds to become magistrates, to be more reflective of society. Perhaps they need to look at how this can be done more effectively.
2007-05-30 09:27:12 · answer #5 · answered by Tufty Porcupine 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
One would assume they need more training, although anybody can apply to become one, i do know someone who was a magistrate and was a right tearaway when he was younger.
A Magistrate is the preciding individual in court who can hand out judgements and in my eyes should have alot more training in Law...
2007-05-30 09:00:56 · answer #6 · answered by McCanns are guilty 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Surely being a magistrate is not a profession. Anyone can become one.
They give up lots of time to perform their duties and are often frustrated by stupid rules and regulations which do not allow them to impose appropriate sentences.
I would like to see magistrates free to impose much tougher sentences on the sniggering louts who appear before them.,
2007-05-30 09:09:06 · answer #7 · answered by Dellboy from UK 3 · 3⤊ 2⤋
i think it depends why they take the job on. If it's for a desire to serve the community that's fine, but if if to gain the opportunity to throw their weight around then it is a problem. Sadly not all magistrates are like Georgie's mum. There's one I can think of who really should't be in the job at all.
2007-05-30 09:45:36 · answer #8 · answered by Beau Brummell 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
At least they come from the real world, not the rarefied, over-qualified, over-paid "professionals". What they have to do is apply common sense, for which there can be no training. It's only the legal technicalities that the Clerk has to advise them on.
2007-05-30 11:12:36 · answer #9 · answered by champer 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Hi.My mums a magistrate [JP] and as a retired school mistress she is well respected in the community.She is very educated and wouldnt dream of posting on yahoo answers..lol...good question trip.
2007-05-30 09:00:00 · answer #10 · answered by georgie 4 · 4⤊ 2⤋