Magistrates Association

Who we are

The MA isthe independent voice of magistrates in England and Wales.

We exist to influence key decision-makers, support our members in administering the law and to educate people about the role of magistrates.

We influence key decision-makers by:

• • representing the magistracy at the highest levels of government, including via our All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Magistracy chaired by MA member Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede JP
  • forming positive public opinion through media engagement
  • supporting our 60 local branches to work locally and regionally to promote the voice of the magistracy
  • providing robust evidence for our policy positions using our own in-house research

We provide our members with information and training by:

• • publishing our magazine, email news bulletin and training materials
  • organising national, regional and local events to help members network and learn from each other
  • populating an online database with the latest information to keep our members up to date

We promote public awareness of the magistracy by:

• • delivering presentations to over 80,000 people in schools and community organisations every year
  • running mock trials in over 500 schools with the Citizenship Foundation
  • working with the Probation Association to run our local crime awareness project