How to Address a Magistrate or Judge in Family Court

By Hannah OvertonPublished 16 September 2026Last reviewed 16 September 202611 mins read13 sections

Part of: Your First Family Court Hearing

In the Family Court, you call a District Judge “Judge”, a Circuit Judge “Your Honour”, a High Court Judge “My Lord” or “My Lady”, and lay magistrates “Sir”, “Madam” or “Your Worship”. That is how to address a magistrate or judge in England and Wales, according to the judiciary’s own guide, What do I call a judge? The legal adviser who sits with magistrates isn’t a judge and doesn’t take a judicial title. If you are getting ready for your first family court hearing, this is one small thing you can settle tonight.

This guide covers the Family Court specifically. If your hearing is actually in a criminal magistrates’ court rather than a family case, the form of address for the magistrates themselves is the same either way. The rest of it (the judge levels, the legal adviser, the courtroom structure) is written for family proceedings.

Reviewed by: Iblal Iqbal, Partner & Family Law Strategist, Kabir Family Law

Family Court or magistrates’ court: which are you actually going to?

Since 22 April 2014, family cases in England and Wales are heard in a single, unified Family Court, not in a separately named “family magistrates’ court” (Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984, s.31A, inserted by Crime and Courts Act 2013, s.17(3)). If your hearing letter says “Family Court”, that single court is where your case sits, whichever level of judge ends up hearing it. Some buildings still display a “Magistrates’ Court” sign on the door because the same building also hosts criminal work. The sign refers to the building, not to a different court hearing your family case.

If you searched for this guide because you’re actually due in a criminal magistrates’ court rather than a family case, the way you address a magistrate is the same either way (“Sir”, “Madam” or “Your Worship”). But the rest of this guide, including the judge levels and the legal adviser’s role, is written for family proceedings specifically. So don’t rely on it for criminal court procedure.

How is the Family Court structured?

The Family Court is a single court, but different levels of judge hear cases within it. Each hearing is taken either by one judge or by a bench of two or three lay magistrates, as set out in The Family Court (Composition and Distribution of Business) Rules 2014, rule 3. From the first level up:

1. Lay magistrates (Justices of the Peace) sit as a panel of two or three, supported by a legal adviser.
2. District Judges (including District Judges sitting in the Family Court) are professional judges who sit alone.
3. Circuit Judges hear more complex cases. Recorders are part-time judges who do broadly similar work.
4. High Court Judges hear some of the most complex family cases.

The court decides which level hears your case, usually early in proceedings. It isn’t anything you choose. What matters for this guide is that the right way to address a magistrate or judge changes depending on which of these four you’re in front of.

How do you address a District Judge in the Family Court?

Say “Judge”. This is the current, official form of address for District Judges, including those sitting in the Family Court and District Judges (Magistrates’ Courts). It comes from the Lord Chief Justice and Senior President of Tribunals’ message on modes of address, published on 1 December 2022. Before that, people used “Sir”, “Madam” or “Judge”. You may still see “Sir” or “Madam” in older guides, including some still circulating online, but “Judge” is the current standard.

In writing, address correspondence to “District Judge [Surname]” and open with “Dear Judge”. That makes a District Judge simpler than the way you address a magistrate, where three forms are still correct.

How do you address a Circuit Judge or Recorder?

Say “Your Honour” to a Circuit Judge hearing a family case. In writing, address them as “His Honour Judge [Surname]” or “Her Honour Judge [Surname]” and open with “Dear Judge”.

Recorders are part-time judges whose work is broadly similar to a Circuit Judge’s. However, the judiciary’s list of titles doesn’t give Recorders their own entry. So if a Recorder is hearing your case, ask the usher what to say before you go in.

How do you address lay magistrates in the Family Court?

Say “Sir”, “Madam” or “Your Worship” to the presiding magistrate (the one who chairs the bench and speaks for the panel). The December 2022 change to “Judge” applied to District Judges and some other judges. It didn’t change how to address a magistrate, and the judiciary’s own guidance still lists “Your Worship, or Sir or Madam” for magistrates. In writing, the judiciary’s example is the magistrate’s name followed by “JP”.

You’ll hear the plural too. In the judiciary’s own family court role-play, the legal adviser and the advocates greet the bench with “Good morning your worships”. So any of these forms is safe.

How do you address the legal adviser who sits with the magistrates?

The legal adviser sits with the magistrates and advises them on the law and procedure. They aren’t a judge and don’t decide your case. The magistrates do, after taking that advice. You can see this in the same role-play, where the chair asks the legal adviser for guidance before the bench retires and calls her “Madam Legal Adviser”.

Address them by name and title if you know it (for example “Mrs Patel”), or “Madam” or “Sir” if you don’t. There’s no special honorific required, unlike for the bench itself.

How do you address a High Court Judge?

Say “My Lord” or “My Lady”. In writing, the title is “The Honourable Mr Justice [Surname]” or “The Honourable Mrs (or Ms) Justice [Surname]”, and letters open “Dear Judge”. This level hears some of the most complex family cases. It is the one you’re least likely to meet as a litigant in person, because most family cases never reach it.

How do you address a magistrate or judge in court and in writing?

Use this quick reference table the night before, or ask the usher on the day who is sitting. All the titles come from the judiciary’s What do I call a judge? page.

Beyond how to address a magistrate, what courtroom etiquette matters?

A few practical points apply whichever judge or bench you’re in front of:

• Stand when the usher or court clerk asks you to, usually as the judge or magistrates enter or leave the room. In a smaller hearing room, you may be told to stay seated.
• Don’t interrupt. Wait to be invited to speak, even if you disagree with something said.
• Speak to the judge or bench, not directly to the other party, even where feelings are running high. If being in the same room worries you, read our guide to special measures in the family court.
• Bringing someone for support? The same courtesies apply to a McKenzie friend sitting beside you.
• Ask, don’t guess. If you genuinely don’t know what to call the judge in front of you, it’s better to ask the usher or court staff before the hearing starts than to guess in the room.

In a children case, your first time in front of the court is often the FHDRA hearing, so these small habits help from day one.

Why do guides on how to address a magistrate disagree?

A search for “how to address a magistrate” mixes two different audiences. Some people are heading to a criminal hearing, where a magistrates’ court panel is the norm. Others are in family proceedings, where the same lay-magistrate panel is just one of four possible judge levels sitting within a single Family Court.

The forms of address for magistrates themselves don’t differ between the two. However, everything else in a family case (the legal adviser, and the possibility of a District Judge, Circuit Judge or High Court Judge instead) is specific to family proceedings. That’s why a generic answer written for criminal court doesn’t cover what you’ll actually meet in the Family Court. And older pages still give the pre-2022 “Sir or Madam” answer for District Judges.

Frequently asked questions

How do you address a magistrate in court?

Say “Sir”, “Madam” or “Your Worship” to the presiding magistrate on the bench. This is the same form of address used in a criminal magistrates’ court, and it hasn’t changed for lay magistrates. When you speak to the whole bench, “your worships” is also used.

How do you address a judge in family court?

It depends on the level of judge hearing your case. Say “Judge” to a District Judge, “Your Honour” to a Circuit Judge, and “My Lord” or “My Lady” to a High Court Judge. If you’re unsure who is sitting, ask the usher before you go in.

Is it still correct to say “Your Worship” to magistrates?

Yes. The official judiciary guidance still lists “Your Worship, or Sir or Madam” for magistrates. The December 2022 change to “Judge” covered District Judges and some other judges, but not magistrates, so “Your Worship” hasn’t been withdrawn.

Do I call a District Judge “Sir” or “Madam”?

No, not any more. Since 1 December 2022, official guidance says to call District Judges “Judge”. Before then, people used “Sir”, “Madam” or “Judge”. That’s why some older guides still give the outdated answer.

What do I call the legal adviser in family court?

By name and title, or “Madam” or “Sir” if you don’t know their name. They aren’t a judge, so no judicial honorific applies. They advise the magistrates on law and procedure, but the magistrates make the decision.

What happens if I address the magistrates or judge the wrong way?

Usually nothing serious. Judges and magistrates hear from people without legal help every day, and the judiciary made the 2022 change partly to help them. Simply correct yourself and carry on. If you’re unsure who you’re in front of, ask the court usher before the hearing rather than guessing once it starts.

Hearing soon? Get advice before you address the magistrates or judge

Walking into a family hearing without knowing who’s on the bench, what to call them, or how your case will actually be run is one more thing working against you at an already difficult time. Book a free initial consultation, where one of our specialists gives you initial advice tailored to your circumstances, so you know what to expect before the day. You can also read what happens at your first family court hearing.

Expert Tip

We are often asked what to do if nerves take over and the right title slips your mind. A wrong title is rarely what a hearing turns on. What the bench notices more is someone talking over them or over the other party. So before you go in, ask the usher who is sitting, write that title at the top of your notes, and pause for a breath before you speak.

Hannah Overton, Complex Children Specialist & Client Support