We are delighted to announce that Helen Chapman has been appointed by the Lord Chief Justice as a Deputy District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts).
Helen will sit as a part time Deputy District Judge following her swearing in and sitting-in period.
Deputy district judges are appointed by the Lord Chancellor after a fair and open competition administered by the Judicial Appointments Commission, and the statutory qualification is the same as that for appointment as a district judge – a minimum of five years’ right of audience in any part of the Supreme Court, or all proceedings in county courts or magistrates’ courts.
Deputy district judges sit on a fee-paid basis in the county courts and district registries of the High Court for between 15 and 50 days a year. In general their jurisdiction is the same as that of a district judge.
