Internet Newsletter for Lawyers |
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New Judiciary Web Site
by Mike Wicksteed
www.judiciary.gov.uk was built by the Judicial Communications Office’s web team. The Office was set up last year to provide communications support to the more than 40,000 judicial office-holders in England and Wales - judges, tribunal members and magistrates.
The website aims to inform the public about the work judges do and, over a period of time, will attempt to dispel such perceived views as judges are out of touch with most people's lives and are inclined towards soft sentences. It contains a mix of statistical and educational information in five sections:
• About the judiciary including What do judges wear, Judicial terms of service, Judicial Roles, types and jurisdiction and How do I address a judge?
• Key facts, including an explanation of the Legal Year, Biographies, Statistics and an Organisation Chart;
• Learning resources, with a series of quizzes, video interviews, historic cases and scenarios relating judges to real life situations;
• Judgments and guidance, with information on how Sentences are determined, Practice Directions, Protocols and guidance on criminal cases and Tribunal decisions,
• Publications, with speeches and press releases.
We want the website to be of interest to young people and students in particular. To that end we have incorporated an interactive learning resource area where users can try their hand at sentencing or quizzes.
We’ve worked to make the site look and feel as little like a government website as possible. In a filmed interview on the website the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, gives the legal correspondent Marcel Berlins his views on a range of issues. Judges, magistrates and tribunal judiciary have contributed ‘day in the life’ diaries.
It is early days yet and my web team worked very hard to ensure that there was a significant volume of relevant and interesting content available for launch. All comers are most welcome. In particular we are looking for users’ comments: about where it works well, where less so and suggestions for new topics.
Mike Wicksteed is Head of Judicial Communications.
Email Mike.Wicksteed@judiciary.gsi.gov.uk.
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