'After nearly 5 years I felt that I ought to have been confident …. I was BUT it was really useful in refreshing my thinking and understanding at my own pace’ JP winger, 5 yrs on bench
If you are a magistrate winger and have an appraisal coming up, or you just want to improve your performance in court, this workbook might help you refresh your skills or knowledge.
If taken as a whole the workbook goes chronologically through a typical sitting. However you can use each module flexibly, working through as many or as few as you need, and in whatever order suits your requirements. The only prerequisite is that you read the introduction booklet first. Each takes only about 1-2 hours to complete, spread over a few sittings.
The ten modules each relate to different aspects of Working as a Member of the team (competence 2). Using questions and activities, the booklets prompt you to relate your experience to practical tasks, which you work through in your own time at home. The series can complement continuation training in your own court.
Aimed at: wingers (Modules 1 and 2 are for newer wingers)
Useful for: prospective mentors; appraisers of wingers;
new chairmen ( to understand the winger's role); and any magistrate!
‘An excellent reminder of what some may take for granted, and others may simply have forgotten or never been told in the first place’
JP winger, 3 yrs 8mths on bench
click on the module titles for further details and to download
Introduction To the Series
Module 1 Preparation for Court (for newer wingers)
Module 2 In Court: attentive listening (for newer wingers)
Module 3 In court – Note Taking, barriers to listening, magistrates’ questions
Module 4 The retiring room: Discussion amongst equals
Module 5 The retiring room: Communication Skills
Module 6 The retiring room: fairness for all
Module 7 The retiring room: Making decisions
Module 8 Working with the legal adviser
Module 9 Post-sitting review
Module 10 Further learning
Give Us Your Feedback
To help us improve future publications, we would like to know what you thought of the workbook and how you have used it.
If you have completed any of the modules, please click here to fill in a short questionnaire.
Introduction To the Series
Anyone reading any module for the first time should read this. Explains how to get the most out of the workbook and finding your starting point.
Estimated completion time - 30 minutes
Module 1
Preparation for Court
(for newer wingers)
Preparing for court can be underestimated. Especially with CJSSS, preparing effectively can improve the way you listen to a case, and set the tone for a productive sitting. This module is for newer wingers. It covers: the qualities of a good team, supporting the chairman, the pre-court briefing under CJSSS, preparing for court and making sure you are allocated an appropriate role.
"As we have just started on CJSSS this was really treading into the unknown but on reading I felt that it was a good instructional module"
Estimated completion time - between 45 minutes - 2 hours
click here to download module 1
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Module 2
In Court: Attentive Listening
(for newer wingers)
It may seem that the winger has little role in the courtroom compared to the chairman – but supporting the chairman with skilled observation is crucial. Module 2 is for newer wingers. It covers: wingers’ tasks in the courtroom, observing the court, procedural structures, some legal points, being an effective listener in court and ensuring you are alert to appropriate clues and messages.
‘a timely reminder of the duties of a winger and the need to consider how other people see wingers’
Estimated completion time - between 1 - 2 hours
click here to download module 2
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Module 3
In Court: Note Taking, Barriers to Listening and Magistrates’ Questions
Note taking is very personal - magistrates will have been doing this since they began to sit. This module outlines different strategies for note taking that may help you be more effective. Also covered in this module are further ways of supporting the chairman in court, recognising and resolving barriers to communication in court, maintaining the dignity of the court
"Examples of note-taking strategies were of real practical help. I'd got stuck in a rut with my preferred method and needed ideas both to make notes more concisely and to set them out in a more accessible way."
Estimated completion time - between 1 - 2 hours
click here to download module 3
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Module 4
The Retiring Room: Discussion
Amongst Equals
Making decisions as a bench is fundamental to what magistrates do. This module gives you the chance to review how the bench works together in the retiring room and how your behaviour impacts on your colleagues and the decisions you make together. It covers: joining in discussions effectively, working as three equals; hitting the right level of assertiveness, feeling secure in your role; and making constructive challenges to other views.
"It has had an impact upon my behaviour in all sittings since completion. I am more reflective on my interactions and how I operate as a team member"
Estimated completion time:- between 1 - 2 hours
click here to download module 4
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Module 5
The Retiring Room: Communication Skills
Good communication skills are vital, particularly for the retiring room. There are simple techniques which everyone can use to improve effectiveness in this area. Module 5 looks at the process of the retiring room discussion: using your voice effectively, listening actively in this setting, using different question types to direct the discussion usefully, and interactive discussion.
‘working in a team to moderate each other with respect and understanding is the best part of our work. This is the topic and these are the fundamental skills that make it happen! … an excellent module’
Estimated completion time - between 1 - 2 hours
click here to download module 5
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Module 6
The Retiring Room: Fairness to All
As magistrates we swear to conduct our role ‘Without fear or favour’. Fair treatment, therefore, incorporating diversity, must be fundamental in magisterial decisions. This module defines and examines stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination, the three most insidious threats to impartiality in the retiring room. It offers ways of avoiding these pitfalls and challenging discrimination when it occurs in the retiring room.
"I was pleasantly surprised how interesting this module was"
"I believe that this module should be obligatory!"
Estimated completion time - between 1½ - 2 ½ hours
click here to download module 6
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Module 7
The Retiring Room: Making Decisions
The aim of all retiring room discussion is to reach fair and reasonable decisions. Following a structure is the best way of ensuring this, and the winger, just as much as the chairman, has a role in making sure the discussion is focused on the structure. This module covers: reaching majority decisions; sentences and alternatives; formulating reasons; supporting the chairman’s pronouncements.
"I found that going through the module provided me with a focus on areas to work on during future sittings"
Estimated completion time - between 1 - 2 hours
click here to download module 7
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Module 8
Working With The Legal Adviser
Magistrates work with legal advisers every time they sit. But how much are we really clear about their role and the way we relate to them in practice? This module explains the professional relationship with the legal adviser; the division of roles; the legal adviser’s duties; the Justices’ Clerk and court responsibilities.
"a great aid to better understanding the role of the Legal Adviser, the relationship between the Chairman and the Legal Adviser and between the wingers and the Legal Adviser"
Estimated completion time: between 45 minutes - 2 hours
click here to download module 8
Module 9
Post-Sitting Review
Post sitting reviews can be infrequently held, or hurried where people need to rush off or break before another sitting. Indeed, sometimes wingers are not always aware of how much they can be used for your own development. This module focuses on making the best use of the review, ways of giving and receiving feedback, and resolving interpersonal difficulties.
"I found this module very thought provoking. I now have a much better understanding of the purpose of the post sitting review."
Estimated completion time: between 45 minutes - 2 hours
click here to download module 9
Module 10
Further Learning
This module is for those who want to go into more depth into reviewing their own learning needs and planning their development as a magistrate. It covers recording your own learning needs, a more in depth view of the competence framework, scope of experience, and making needs known.
"As this module is concerned with reflection on self, one will only get out of it, as much as you wish to put into it…I found it most interesting. It will help me and I will refer and reflect on my development as I continue in the magistracy."
Estimated completion time: between 45 minutes - 2 hours
click here to download module 10
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