I was randomly placed on the jury roll for NSW late last year.
Since then I’ve been called up for a 13 week trial, a 26 week trial and a 24 week trial – all of which I’ve fortunately been excused from with a supporting letter from Bobs. The gist of the letter being that SML is small, I’m leading Project Sulfur during this period and there is no-one else to replace me.
project sulfur – visual representation
Based on the experience of others, I knew the summonses were going to arrive with increasing frequency until I turned up at court. And sure enough, earlier in the week I received yet another letter – for another 24 week trial. Seriously who has a life that they can take almost 6 months from?
This time the compelling letter from Bobs did not work.
I received word on Friday afternoon that “my reason was not accepted”, so I will be turning up late September begging and pleading to be put on a shorter trial. In addition to the career damage in missing 6 months of a project (sulfur is a BIG opportunity for me), there’s significant financial disadvantage if I am put on any trial that lasts beyond 10 days. SML is required to make up the difference between my salary and the very meagre jury stipend for that period, but beyond that one is expected to survive on very little.
I could definitely get into a hysterical spiral here about all the other issues this will cause, but I’m trying very hard to be zen about it. Hah! just writing that made me spiral a bit.
I’ll prep all I can with more supporting evidence, but in the end this one is in the lap of TheUniverse!
I expect I will spend a good amount of that late September day in tears and/or hyperventilating.
Flipping heck, that is a long trial period. I have been called once, got excused as had a ticket already issued for an overseas trip, and have never been selected again! Courage, dear heart.
Must be something fairly high profile, possibly a murder? There have been times in my life I would have adored to do this!
Thank you for the good wishes. If nothing else it does provide me with a good opportunity to practice calm!
The fact that you could be financially disadvantaged is not good.
I have never been called for jury service and like you also used to think I would love to do it. I know myself well enough now to realise I would find it maddening to have to listen to the views of the other jurists as they would be bound to be wrong.
I plan to turn up with a copy of SML’s jury duty policy in the hopes that it will get me onto something shorter.
Everyone I know who has not managed to get out of it has said their experience was exactly as maddening as you suspect. A whole lot of amateur CSI and stupidity – exactly not the type of thing you’d be delighted by if you were the person on trial.
(I have no idea why your comment ended up in an approval queue – usually they post without approval)