We’re delighted to confirm that litigation expert David Watson has been appointed as a Magistrate.
Magistrates, also called Justices of the Peace, hear cases in their community across the criminal, youth and family courts, listening to all evidence given in court and follow structured decision-making processes (such as sentencing guidelines in criminal cases) and case law to reach fair decisions.
Having expressed a desire to look into becoming a Magistrate in 2019, Watson Ramsbottom supported David in achieving this, granting him the necessary time to complete observations and proceed through the selection process.
Having initially applied back in 2019, David was recommended for appointment and in October 2020 was formally appointed as a Justice of the Peace.
David has been appointed to the Lancashire region and will sit in the Criminal courts, primarily at Burnley Magistrates Court but will sit at other courts across the region as required. He will be sworn in this coming April, after which he will commence actively sitting on cases.
On his appointment, David said “I am delighted to have been successful in my application to become a Magistrate and look forward to begin sitting later this year. Public service of any kind can be highly rewarding and this has been a personal ambition of mine for some time. I am grateful for the support shown by my colleagues and the Watson Ramsbottom directors, which has enabled me to take on this role.”
Director Jonathan Leach stated “At Watson Ramsbottom we have a proud tradition of encouraging and engaging in public service, and we’re happy that David will be the latest member of our team to contribute in such a way. From the moment he suggested this was something he wished to do we sought to support him in doing so and have no doubt he’ll be a fantastic addition.”.
David remains committed to Watson Ramsbottom and his clients and will continue to be a vital member of the team. His appointment is a part time, voluntary role which David will take on in addition to his work at Watson Ramsbottom. He expects to sit once every couple of weeks and Watson Ramsbottom are committed to enabling him to do so.