Jury service/wedding crossover

nykied

Hi all,

I've been selected for jury service, which can last anything from one day to two weeks. It was only when I put the dates into my calendar that I noticed that the final Friday is the day of my friends' wedding :eek:

I'm not a bridesmaid but she's a close friend. What should I do? By that, I mean, should I tell her in advance? I don't know anyone who's done jury service, so I have no way of telling if it's likely to last the full two weeks - does anybody have any idea?

I've already sent my form off saying I don't need to defer it - I did that before I put the dates into my calendar.

sandraann

I'm a part time wedding photographer and i've lived in fear of getting a date for jury service which conflicts with a wedding . Mine arrived on Monday and seems to last up to 3 weeks. I've a wedding on the Saturday after it finishes. Could you ask to be excused, that's what i would have had to do if the dates had clashed.

emz118

I would tell your friend, then she'll know in advance, and personally I would want to know in advance if there was any chance a close friend might not be able to make it.

Luckyred

I have done Jury Service recently. I had to ask for my original dates to be deferred as my mother was seriously ill. They agreed... no problem. I dont know if they would agree for a wedding though. It might be worth a try asking for the whole two weeks to be deferred because once you have started you will not be allowed any time off. You have to be available for a full two weeks, sometimes longer if you are on a trial that runs into a third week as I was. I wasnt expecting to do a third week but thats the way it goes sometimes. My third trial started on the Wednesday of the second week and it went on until the Thursday of the third week.
Sometimes they let you go early if you havent been chosen for a trial but you would have no way of knowing if that was going to happen.
You can still ask for it to be deferred after you have agreed to do it. Thats what I had to do.

nykied

Luckyred wrote: »

My third trial started on the Wednesday of the second week and it went on until the Thursday of the third week.

Whoa, hold on a minute! They make you do more than one trial? Squeeze as much out of you in the two weeks as they can?

Goddamn, I thought it was just one and that was it :eek:

kizkiz

I did jury serviceq few years ago. There was a large fraud trial taking up to 10 weeks. I was selected and it collapsed after one week when a defendant changed his plea to guilty. lol
Anyway, i wasn't needed after that. All the trials had juries, they weren't busy, and we got sent home.
Bear in mind, if you defer, it can only be done once. Is your friend's wedding so important that you would risk not being able to defer again for something really serious?
I would be very surprised if they let you defer for a wedding you are just a guest at

laura2481

sandraann wrote: »

I'm a part time wedding photographer and i've lived in fear of getting a date for jury service which conflicts with a wedding . Mine arrived on Monday and seems to last up to 3 weeks. I've a wedding on the Saturday after it finishes. Could you ask to be excused, that's what i would have had to do if the dates had clashed.

I would make sure you have arranged 'back up' in case the trial runs over. You could get a trial which lasts longer than 2 weeks. you should be prepared- especially as you may have to let someone down last minute!

Giggles_Fairy

I was told when I did mine that if a trial may last over the 2 weeks then they will ask the jury before the start starts if they are available after the two weeks. I was finishing on the friday and going on holiday on the monday so no way I would be available. Also the court wasnt open at weekends where I did mine? As it happened I wasnt needed for most of the 2 weeks I did mine and was discharged a couple of days early. I was on 1 trial that last 2 days and another folded after about 4 hours.

You are allowed to defer once. I had to when they first sent me the date as I was in university and it was term time. They then ask for your available dates over the next 2 weeks and then they fit the service into your availability. As I was in university my only available time was summer and they choose the last 2 weeks before I went away, I could not say no to this.

I would call them and say you ahve sent your form off but now realise you have a prior engagement so would you please defer this time.

nykied

kizkiz wrote: »

Bear in mind, if you defer, it can only be done once. Is your friend's wedding so important that you would risk not being able to defer again for something really serious?

That's what I'm thinking. I'll be available for the evening do, if the worst comes to the worst, I suppose.

Kinski

I've been called at least 3/4 times, my oh is a retired police officer and I've always just said that there could be a possibility that I would know any police officer who was giving evidence, so far it's worked and I've not had to do it. It's not that I don't want to but just my circumstances would make it very difficult to attend.

Luckyred

nykied wrote: »

Whoa, hold on a minute! They make you do more than one trial? Squeeze as much out of you in the two weeks as they can?

Goddamn, I thought it was just one and that was it :eek:

Its just the luck of the draw.....literally. There will be a lot of people who have been called to serve as usually there will be more than one court so several trials will be on at the same time. They will call out about 20 names and you all have to go into a particular courtroom. When you go in its all ready to start....everyone is there including the defendant/defendants in the dock. They will ask the defendant if there is anyone who he/she doesnt wish to have on the jury. Then they call out 12 names and if yours is one of them you take your place on the jury and are sworn in individually. The rest go back to the jury room. The ones who havent been called that day may be allowed to go home early but only for that day as some of them will be required to serve on a new trial if one is starting the next day.
Some people dont get to serve on any trial, some serve on one, two or three. Its just like names out of a hat.
I found it very interesting indeed.