ABSTRACT
Lay people have no legal training. Why, then, should we be discussing such people in a book on the English legal system? In fact, lay people play an important part in the legal system as representatives of the public in the form of jurors, magistrates and lay members of tribunals. Their major importance lies in:
demonstrating that the law is not a mystery understood only by lawyers;
ensuring public accountability, in that the public see openly what goes on in court;
maintaining public confidence in the system.
