Budding legal eagles will have the chance to experience a courtroom without straying on to the wrong side of the law when an open day is held at Stratford Magistrates’ Court.

Staff at the centre in Stratford High Street will be throwing open their doors for the free event on April 9 from 9.30am to 1.30pm.

Visitors will be able to sit alongside the magistrates and lawyers as they re-enact some of the cases that have been heard at court and visit the court’s cells.

Magistrates will also be available to discuss their work individually.

They will also be able to explain their role in more detail to anyone who is interested in becoming a magistrate themselves.

Magistrates’ courts deal with the vast majority of criminal cases, with only the most serious being heard by a judge and jury at a crown court.

Magistrates – who are volunteers without a formal legal background – deal with a wide range of offences, from train fare evasion to theft and assault.

They usually sit in groups of three and are provided with guidance by a trained legal adviser.