Jury Service - Has it affected you

[HYpno27]

Been working for 20 years and have never had a call

[rhubarb]

Called about 10 years ago. At the time I was travelling to Holland for work a fair bit so didn't know when I'd be in the country.
Wrote to them telling them that and they replied saying I didn't need to attend.

Rhubarb.

[TheFaQQer]

Back in the early nineties was called up to the Old Bailey. Suspect it was for the Guiness trial. Was a permie then and my boss wrote a letter saying I could not be spared. My belief (but I'm not sure about this) is that you can be excused once on exceptional grounds, but have to attend if you are called again.

These days it's a bit harder to get out of - I tried it a few years back (permie) when the client was going live and only had four chances a year to do so. Didn't get out of it, although I could have appealed their decision in front of a judge, and in the end the client put back their go-live so tha tI was around for it.

It was in interesting rape and assault case though. Real eye opener.

[darmstadt]

I did it in around '83 when I was still a permie. Not only did I get paid by my company but I managed to claim loss of earnings allowance as well. I did 3 cases while I was there. The first one the bloke decided to plead guilty just before the trial (lucky for me as that was an accountancy one which would have been dead boring.) The second one was for a father/son burglar team and the third one was a taxi driver who poured boiling coffee over a waitress during a fracas in a restaurant. That was a bit difficult as he only lived a few doors down from me although I didn't know it at the time and later went in his taxi, lucky he never recognised me.

[Marina]

My belief (but I'm not sure about this) is that you can be excused once on exceptional grounds, but have to attend if you are called again.

I understood you could defer a request, on exceptional grounds. But this wouldn't be like having your name thrown back in the hat, as if you hadn't been chosen - They have your number so to speak, and will demand your attendance within a certain time.

I'd be happy to requested, but would refuse on principle to take part in any trial where the jury included either a judge or a barrister (which Labour have recently changed the rules to allow).

Edit: My reason for refusing would be that allowing judges in a jury is the thin end of a very obvious wedge which argues "if judges can be jurors why not a small "jury" of *only* judges?". Same goes to some extent for barristers, plus either might sway the jury disproportionately and even be open to political machinations behind the scenes to deliver the "right" verdict!

[Peoplesoft bloke]

I understood you could defer a request, on exceptional grounds. But this wouldn't be like throwing your name back in the hat, as if you hadn't been chosen - They have your number so to speak, and will demand your attendance within a certain time.

I'd be happy to requested, but would refuse on principle to take part in any trial where the jury included either a judge or a barrister (which Labour have recently changed the rules to allow).

Dang! I misread that the first time - I'd love to be able to refuse to take part in any trial involving a judge or barrister!

[EternalOptimist]

Was called once, for a murder rap. I thought the whole case was ropey but the other eleven guys were all for a guilty verdict. They were really angry with me at first, for holding out, but I managed to convince them one by one.
It sure got hot and muggy in that jury room, event the fans didnt work, but we got there in the end and the kid walked free.

[Marina]

Dang! I misread that the first time - I'd love to be able to refuse to take part in any trial involving a judge or barrister!

LOL. Yes, shame Wager of Battle has been abolished in the UK

(but not explicitly in the US acording to that WIkipedia article )

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Was called once, for a murder rap. I thought the whole case was ropey but the other eleven guys were all for a guilty verdict. They were really angry with me at first, for holding out, but I managed to convince them one by one.
It sure got hot and muggy in that jury room, event the fans didnt work, but we got there in the end and the kid walked free.

I take it you've seen "12 Angry men" then.

[Marina]

Was called once, for a murder rap. I thought the whole case was ropey but the other eleven guys were all for a guilty verdict. They were really angry with me at first, for holding out, but I managed to convince them one by one.
It sure got hot and muggy in that jury room, event the fans didnt work, but we got there in the end and the kid walked free.

Crikey - Sounds like the plot of a tense courtroom drama, if there enough "angles" to argue.