I don't want to do jury service

If it's going to impact on your life unnecessarily - ie if work can't spare you for the fortnight - then you are within your rights to ask to be excused.

I was told because I defaulted last year I couldn't get out of it again. I told them I was busy and in a new job, but they never told me at any point that I could be excused - or that that was even a possibility. I'm talking my laptop with me and if I'm not picked will hopefully be able to work from there or come home early. Its not that I can't do it, it will just be incredibly inconvenient and ruin my evenings for the next two weeks (not sure they would class that as reason enough for getting out of it).

Is there no one from work who can help to cover your workload ? what happens when you go on holiday ?

Probably not-but I would still try if I were you, anyway!

I know how you feel. I was called earlier this year but I was excused as I had a series of medial appointments that I had waited a long time for, so they said that was okay. However, in the same envelope they included another call for next January with a letter saying that I had to attend in Jan 2009, no excuses allowed.

I phoned because I don't know how I'm going to do it. I have to get my son to school at 8.50am and get to Luton, about 10 miles away by 8.55. I also have to collect him at 2.50 but am unlikely to be released before 5pm. I can get some help two days a week but not the other days. They said its not their problem, no excuses allowed.

Also I'm not sure if my medical treatments will be finished by then. They said no excuses allowed.

I am self employed. The callup is for two weeks but could go on longer. So how long do I have to not book work for. If I don't book work for say, four weeks, and I finish in two weeks they I won't get any last minute bookings I will be out of pocket. But if I presume its only going to be the two weeks, and I have to stay for a longer time, I will be letting brides down with little or no notice. They said no excuses allowed.

And then, because I wouldn't have any bookings, at least for that two weeks, I can't claim loss of earnings because I can't prove that I would have worked. Not their problem.

So basically, although I would quite like to do it and feels its my 'duty', I feel royally screwed!?

Hope you get on alright.

I haven't had a holiday since I started. There is only me in my role and we have another woman starting tomorrow to cover half of the country for me, but its come at a really bad itme because bascially she should be with me so I can get her up to speed and instead I'm not even going to be around to help her. Can't offload my work on her because it would be dropping her in the deep end slightly.

But that's not your problem - it's up to your work to deal with this. You shouldn't be expected to work when on jury service.

My son has just finished jury service and knew he would be out of pocket so he didn't use his lunch card.What money is left on your lunch card is paid back to you. Not ideal but might help a bit

I thought I had a cast-iron excuse for wriggling out of jury service when they summonsed me to appear in the nearest court to my old address, seventy miles away.

So with some relish I told them that unfortunately I'd moved house and wouldn't be able to attend.

They said "That's quite all right, sir, you can report to your nearest court instead".

Damn - my cunning plan blew up in my face, and I had to go.

But I actually really enjoyed it, if "enjoyed" is the operative word for a six-day malicious wounding trial - it was strangely fascinating taking all the various jigsaw pieces of the case and trying to put them together in a way that made the most sense. And it was also genuinely fascinating seeing an entire trial from beginning to end.

The great advantage of it lasting six days is that they couldn't squeeze me into any more in the two-week period, so after ordering me to be on call for about 48 hours, they then said I didn't have to come back by about the middle of week two.

I've been called for jury service but ended up being 'on-call' for the first 2 days (so I could go home or to work) and was then told I wasn't needed. So it may not be as bad as you think.

Well I've just completed my first two days on the jury, I was picked in the first lot ☹️

I asked when I started if it would be possible to have my car parking paid for as its awkward to get to the courts from where I live by public transport. They've just got back to me now to say that they can't. So I'm £14 out of pocket after two days. Looks like I'm going to have to get public transport in. Its 15 mins by car and an hour and a half by public transport, not to mention it only is 10p dearer for the parking than the return travel costs of two lots of public transport.

Its inconvenient enough without them making it harder.

I sympathise but if everyone deferred until it was absolutely 100% convenient for them, we'd have a chronic shortage of juries. I've yet to be called and really don't want to do it because I know my mind has a tendency to wander when I'm not interested in something (I pity the poor defendant who gets me ? ) but it's one of those things you just have to do.

I don't mind doing it, although it is inconvenient, I understand why they need people. My problem is, there should be no way we are out of pocket because of it.

I was once a juror in a coroners court where a man had hanged himself in police custody.

It sounds awful to say it when a man had died, but I found it interesting.I'd quite like to do it in a criminal court.

But I have a job where I can easily take time off, so it's not a problem like it is for some.

It's actually not that difficult to be excused, rather than deferred. Although nothing like as easy as it used to be. The easiest and most common is self employment, invariably you will be excused, if you make your case in writing before your appointed date, even if you aren't the same appeal at the selection stage will probably see you sent home. The same is true, to a slightly lesser extent, if your employer claims that for reasons of business he cannot reasonably spare you.

Difficulty with transport is actually an entirely valid reason for being excused, tricky if you're a car owner though.

Almost any important voluntary commitment that means you may be 'on call' will also be considered seriously. The most common are part time members of the the emergency services, although having a sick relative who may require urgent assistance that only you are in a position to offer will also considered.

Not applicable to you, but anyone on Job Seekers who claims that they cannot subsist without their benefit being paid on it's usual date will be excused without question.

Having a close relative in either the CPS or Police Service is considered grounds for being excused as there is a likelyhood that you may have 'overheard' prejudicial information or be unconciously biased by your relative's association with 'the law'.

Being mentally unsound..... Includes relatively minor (or apparently so) abberations.

And by far the best, unless your notification was served by hand or recorded delivery. Torch it and claim you never recieved said.***

As a final standby, if selected, request that a note be delivered to the judge on your behalf claiming any excuse you fancy.... Betcha you're on your way home immediately.

Just don't get done for contempt of court.......

*** Ofthe above, this is the only dishonest method

What a pain in the hole.

One of the (few) advantages of being a qualified lawyer is I'll never have to do this sh1t ?

I hear what Hooby is saying but if it was all better organised and there was less faffing about and people were properly remunerated for loss of earnings/expenses then people wouldn't be as keen to get out of it as they are.

would i be exempt then? because i may have read about or dealt with a case before it happened?

and mr c as he's married to me?

if so, its a shame really, i'd quite like to do it...

Not automatically. But if you were to claim that because of your job you were unable to take a detatched view you could be excused.

And frankly, you're probably not. Whether you're aware of it or not. (Depends on the nature of the case I suppose)

My mum was called when I was 3. She was a SAHM also working as a childminder at the time and was excused as she didn't have anyone to look after me and it would cause too much disruption to the families she worked for. She's never been called again and would really like to do jury service now.

I had my stint at the Old Bailey - I was 20.

Case was a well known one & I hated every moment of it - 6 weeks in total & it did impact on my life.

Each night had police escort to a main line station & expected to not talk about or read anything about the case. Even now I can't go past the place it happened without seeing the photo's we were shown as exhibits.

I'm now exempt from jury duty funny enough.

ONE, it used to be the case that lawyers, the police, CPS et al. and sometimes their close relatives would be ineligible for jury service, but that changed a couple of years ago, in England at least (don't know about the rest of the UK). Even top lawyers get called nowadays (I'm sure I read something about Cherie Blair having to do it).

If you've a connection with the actual case or have received some kind of information about it via relatives in the legal or law enforcement professions, that's obviously different and you would pass a note to the judge at the start of the trial.