Magistrates are ordinary people who are also known as Justices of the Peace. They sit as a bench of three people and work together as a team. One of these three is called the Chairman of the Court. They come from all walks of life and, wherever possible, the bench of three will include a mix of gender, ethnicity and age. The youngest magistrate to be appointed was a 19-year-old law student from Yorkshire.

There are around 30,000 magistrates in England and Wales and 95% of criminal cases are dealt with in a magistrates' court.

Each magistrate must sit for at least 26 half days each year. Magistrates wear smart clothes but not formal court dress.