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Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Employees who volunteer as magistrates prove good for business - GOV.UK

  • employers stand to benefit from skills staff acquire through magistrate training
  • the Judiciary of England and Wales and MoJ appeal to employers to support the search for 4,000 more magistrates
  • applications are now open for anyone looking to volunteer: icanbeamagistrate.co.uk

With new government data showing 7 million people took part in volunteering between 2021-22*, the MoJ is calling on more employers to join the hundreds who are already feeling the business boost and encourage staff to volunteer as magistrates.

Over 12,000 magistrates currently volunteer across England and Wales and are developing transferrable skills such as critical analysis, complex problem solving and mediation. And according to MoJ research,** 55% of decision-making employers think employees who also serve as magistrates will develop better soft or professional skills.

In fact, HR and business leaders report the top qualities of their staff, who are magistrates, as having sound judgement (89%) and effective decision-making skills (81%).

Supporting staff to volunteer can also boost recruitment. Evidence suggests people are more likely to want to work for organisations that give back to society.

Furthermore, having a magistrate as an employee offers organisations the win-win of attracting and retaining talent. Nearly 1 in 10 volunteers recognise it as a way to ‘get on in their career’, so employer support is likely to be welcomed.

Pam Sheemar, a magistrate and NatWest employee, said:

I am...



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