Addressing a Magistrate (UK)

seun · May 17, 2012

Anyone know how to address a British magistrate in correspondence if you don't know their surname? 'Dear Sir/Judge/Your Honour?'

ETA: Magistrate, not judge. My bad.

Peter Graham · May 17, 2012

Sir or Ma'am. Collectively, you can call a whole bench of them "Your Worships", although that is slowly falling out of vogue in much of the country.

Regards,

Peter

Parametric · May 17, 2012

I address mine as Dad. :tongue

Could you give more context? In what context would you write a letter to a magistrate specifically, as opposed to writing to the court in general?

Shakesbear · May 17, 2012

Here you go:

http://www.magistratescourt.tas.gov.au/practice_directions/2005_No_4_-_Form_of_Address

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_titles_in_England_and_Wales

seun · May 18, 2012

Parametric said:
I address mine as Dad. Could you give more context? In what context would you write a letter to a magistrate specifically, as opposed to writing to the court in general?

Haha. Class.

Only a vague idea at the moment - as a character witness. I'm thinking something along the lines of 'Dear Judge, with regard to Mr So and So, I have known him for twenty years and he's a bloody good egg'.

Well, something like that. Of course, if someone wouldn't actually write to a magistrate for this, I'll come up with a new plan.

onesecondglance · May 18, 2012

My mother-in-law is a magistrate. In court she is addressed as "Ma'am" by people who know what they're doing and "Yer onerr" by idiot criminals who don't

I don't think it's standard practice for matters relating to individual cases to be discussed outstide court, character statements or otherwise. You'd do that in the sight of the court, not in writing to a single magistrate.

seun · May 18, 2012

onesecondglance said:
I don't think it's standard practice for matters relating to individual cases to be discussed outstide court, character statements or otherwise. You'd do that in the sight of the court, not in writing to a single magistrate.

Bugger. Oh well. A slight change of plan needed in that case. Thanks for the help, all.

Priene · May 18, 2012

Parametric said:
I address mine as Dad.

I believe the correct form is 'Daddio'.

Peter Graham · May 18, 2012

Only a vague idea at the moment - as a character witness. I'm thinking something along the lines of 'Dear Judge, with regard to Mr So and So, I have known him for twenty years and he's a bloody good egg'.

As a general rule, character witnesses only really come into play when a defendant has been "potted" (to use defence solicitor parlance) and is attempting to rely on their good egg-dom to avoid a one way trip to some smack-infested Victorian rat hole full of addicts, mentalists and thugs.

Character evidence tends to be given in writing - usually in the form of a letter. There is no particular format, but letters are typically addressed either to the defence solicitor who will hand them over in Court, or "to whom it may concern".

So, I see no issue with you using such a letter in your book.

Regards,

Peter

seun · May 19, 2012

Peter Graham said:
Character evidence tends to be given in writing - usually in the form of a letter. There is no particular format, but letters are typically addressed either to the defence solicitor who will hand them over in Court, or "to whom it may concern".

So, I see no issue with you using such a letter in your book.

Thanks. I'll work on it and see how it goes.

Addressing a Magistrate (UK)

seun

Horror Man

Peter Graham

Arise Rheged!

Parametric

Shakesbear

knows a hawk from a handsaw

seun

Horror Man

onesecondglance

pretending to be awake

seun

Horror Man

Priene

Out to lunch

Peter Graham

Arise Rheged!

seun

Horror Man