Panicking about jury service

[Tombo46]

As self employed people, most of us panic about being called for jury duty. While it would be a massive inconvenience I would actually be able to manage to do it 2/3 of the year and actually do have a plan in place in case this happens. The same goes for staff. I can manage any time of the year except for December.

One of my 2 members of staff has been called to do his duty on 30th November which, considering we sell 500 christmas tree's, is a major blow. While it would be ridiculously hard work, I would be able to manage for a couple of weeks and could get someone in to help with the tree's with relatively small amount of training.

The worry however is if the period is extended beyond this. If it falls in to "Christmas Week" we are well and truly screwed as the jobs he would be doing aren't something that I can just pull a mate or agency staff to do.

The big problem is uncertainty. I can plan for him not being available that week but it would mean sacrificing around £2000 turnover of which a fair chunk is profit. This would be a decision that would have to be made at the end of November. This will also have a knock on effect on years to come each Christmas as we would lose a lot of customers. The other option is to risk it and assume he will be available however if he isn't we are looking at a lot of very upset and disappointed customers due to not physically being able to make their orders up.

Does anyone have any experience with jury duty? I only know a couple of people who have done it. One was self employed and unfortunately went bankrupt because of his =(

Like I said. While I'll be pulling 120 hour weeks, I can physically manage for those 2 weeks but Christmas week would be an impossibility. I'm more concerned with what the likelihood of it dragging on past that will be.

I'm also assuming there is absolutely no way out of it...

Thanks for reading!

 

[Newchodge]

Write and explain the situation exactly as you have here. They may well put the jury service off, although he will be called soon afterwards.

 

[MikeJ]

Just as we were starting up, I had a preliminary letter saying I was being lined up for jury service, and to tell them when I would/wouldn't be available.

Threw the letter away, never heard from them since.

 

[cjd]

^^^ As above, ask to be called after Christmas - give clear explanations of why and don't just ask for it to be cancelled, ask for a postponement. They're usually pretty good with this sort of thing and may even cancel it anyway.

 

[Tombo46]

Write and explain the situation exactly as you have here. They may well put the jury service off, although he will be called soon afterwards.

Worth a try. Any time after December wouldn't be a problem at all to be honest. Doing a bit of research they seem to be extremely strict on only making exceptions for pre booked holidays or operations. We thought about booking him a "holiday" as the letter wasn't sent recorded delivery and he could have just as easily booked it today and read the letter on Monday. Unfortunately deliberately avoiding jury service is a crime and I'm not sure how up for that he would be haha.

Just as we were starting up, I had a preliminary letter saying I was being lined up for jury service, and to tell them when I would/wouldn't be available.

Threw the letter away, never heard from them since.

Did they give you options of when you would be available? He's been told his dates straight off.

 

[Tombo46]

^^^ As above, ask to be called after Christmas - give clear explanations of why and don't just ask for it to be cancelled, ask for a postponement. They're usually pretty good with this sort of thing and may even cancel it anyway.

I was under the impression that they were extremely strict with it from what I'd read. Hoping that's not the case!

One other thing I was thinking is whether or not the courts operate on the week running up to Christmas? If they don't then we could probably manage. I may die in the process but the business should be ok at least haha.

 

[john1989]

Unless it's a big case, it will probably only last a day or two.

 

[Tombo46]

Unless it's a big case, it will probably only last a day or two.

Thanks. The initial panic is subsiding now and I'm starting to worry about it less. Also I found this link...

https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about-...ce-system/term-dates-and-sittings/term-dates/

Would I be right in thinking that the courts aren't open Christmas week?

 

[Newchodge]

When I was called for jury service I got a questionnaire which included the question 'do you suffer from any physical or mental disability?' I answered, honestly, that i had suffered from depression for many years, but it was perfectly well controlled by medication. I got a letter back saying I wasn't suitable.

Usually the juror is called for 2 weeks and is expected to turn up on every day. if they don't get a trial they are released for the day. the may get 4x2 day trials. If they are allocated a trial which lasts 6 weeks (or 10 months) they have to stay for the whole time.

 

[Tombo46]

Usually the juror is called for 2 weeks and is expected to turn up on every day. if they don't get a trial they are released for the day. the may get 4x2 day trials. If they are allocated a trial which lasts 6 weeks (or 10 months) they have to stay for the whole time.

This is my worry =(

 

[DH Marketing]

My experience of this is that they're pretty understanding if you can give them a good reason why it's majorly inconvenient. Give it a go.

 

[Tombo46]

My experience of this is that they're pretty understanding if you can give them a good reason why it's majorly inconvenient. Give it a go.

Fingers crossed. I'm lucky really that I have a member of staff who's first thought when he got the letter was how it was going to affect me. He's phoned me and said he will work with me as much as I need to try to get it put back a month.

 

[DH Marketing]

Fingers crossed. I'm lucky really that I have a member of staff who's first thought when he got the letter was how it was going to affect me. He's phoned me and said he will work with me as much as I need to try to get it put back a month.

You are lucky! Sounds like he's worth his weight in gold, even if you do lose him for a couple of weeks at your busiest time.

 

[japancool]

Me no speak English no good, is ok do jury service?

 

[Tombo46]

You are lucky! Sounds like he's worth his weight in gold, even if you do lose him for a couple of weeks at your busiest time.

You're not wrong! I've had my fair share of crap ones though haha.

Me no speak English no good, is ok do jury service?

I think he could get away with that if it wasn't for the thick Yorkshire accent!

 

[Carl Mintern]

Tell them he's racist, problem solved?

 

[MOIC]

What does your employee say about all this?

Does he want to do it?

A bout of depression, with a timely visit to the doctor may get you out of a tricky corner. (Tell the doc he's a Leeds supporter and can't cope anymore)

Given what you have said how it will affect your business, it may be time to think on selfish lines.

 

[Newchodge]

Whatever you do, just do one thing:

Either explain your position to the court and ask for the jury service to be postponed to the New Year

Or find out if your member of staff is a terminally depressed Leeds supporter

Or something else.

Doing everything will make them smell a rat and refuse every point.

 

[Pish_Pash]

Never having been called up during my 30 years of working for other people, I got called up 3 months after starting my own company....for a November. I deferred, they then asked me to do it the following June....did it...it was a nice break & got compensated for having to get someone else in.

 

[Ian J]

Never having been called up during my 30 years of working for other people,

I've been called up three times during my long working career and every time I've made an excuse why it would cause problems and have never actually done it.

 

[cjd]

^^^ pity, it's an interesting experience and something everyone should do at least once to support our judicial system - without which we'd be North Korea.

 

[Ian J]

^^^ pity, it's an interesting experience and something everyone should do at least once to support our judicial system - without which we'd be North Korea.

Or Holland

 

[myfairworld]

I was called up shortly after starting my own business and in the lead up to Christmas. Wrote explaining why this would cause me serious problems and did mention a time of year when it would be much more feasible for me (it was a time when Courts would be operating by the way!). They accepted my reason for not wanting to serve but oddly I felt did not call me at the more feasible period.

I can't help feeling it would be better if every citizen 'had' to do a period of jury service but had some control over when that was. Under the current system it seems possible to get sort of 'hobbyist' jurors which may not be a desirable thing.

 

[Newchodge]

I must admit I was deeply disappointed at being not suitable.

 

[Ian J]

I must admit I was deeply disappointed at being not suitable.

Don't be as you never know what sort of case you would sitting in judgement on.

The last time I was called up was for the coroners court and the case concerned a young boy at the local school who had been killed when a lorry reversed over him in the school playground. I must admit that I was mightily relieved that I didn't have to sit through such a harrowing case.

 

[Newchodge]

While working in criminal defence I have sat through a number of harrowing police station interviews/crown court trials. You have to concentrate on the facts, not the emotions.

 

[paulears]

As self-employed people can't get paid for work they don't do, then Jury service is usually set aside if you cannot earn, because of the court case. If work is very seasonal, then again, they'll usually defer it. Don't forget - the last thing they want on the jury is a juror with an axe to grind, it disrupts the process - so they will want to lose these people anyway.

 

[Paul_Walters]

I got called up at Christmas years ago. I deferred then got called again in spring. Went along and sat around a lot. I was all set up to be away for 2 weeks but half of us got taken down to the court room. We heard the accusations against the accused who was in his glass box. Then they picked half of us again to be the actual jury. I was not one of them. Sent me home and then called to say there were no more cases coming up so I was free to go. All that fuss and worry over nothing.

In the end, I'm glad I didn't have to be on that jury having heard what the accusations were. It would have been very disturbing.

 

[japancool]

What about if you told them your invisible friend said it's ok, and that he promised to stop telling you to kill everyone while the trial is on?

 

[Pish_Pash]

I now smile in retrospect....when I actually went to do my jury service, your name is chosen randomly from the 'pool of available jurors' for each trial in the offing that day. I'd heard (urban myth?) that if you go dressed tooted & booted there's a good chance that the accused (or the accused's team) would reject you as a juror ...so I duly went all tooted & booted (whereas everyone else was either 'smart casual' or erhm casual....I stood out like a sore thumb)

i can report that the tooted & booted trick didn't work!

 

[Newchodge]

In this country the accused or their team or the prosecutor or the judge does not have the option of rejecting the juror for any reason whatsoever, except that they know the defendant or one of the witnesses. Your urban myth is based on America where they do have the right to reject jurors.