I’ve got a bunch of business travel coming up later this month/early next but I’ve also a spell of train-ing up, down and across the country for the next week or so. I’m nipping up to London tomorrow morning on a work-related event and then I’m travelling down to Cornwall on Thursday evening for a few days to see my somewhat neglected parents. Cornwall being Cornwall, the weather’s not looking exactly brilliant but who knows: it might pick up!! I will be blogging, albeit later in the week but I’m going to be keeping a low profile for the next couple of days.
And in other news, my girlfriend has a stint of jury service starting on Monday which she’s actually quite pleased about (the silly girl) - at least she’s getting out of work. Sometimes I feel a touch cheated that, as a law graduate, I’m exempt from sampling that particular adventure. Oh well. Now jury service is a veritable free-for-all, (and seemingly has been since 2004 – Christ, how the freaking hell did I miss that one?!?) I’m itching to have a go!! Me next!!! Me next!!! PLEASE!!!!!!
Hate to break it to you, but us law grads are no longer exempt (Criminal Justice Act 2003).
ReplyDeleteFrom the HMCS guidance:
"Members of the judiciary or those involved in the administration of justice who apply for excusal or deferral on grounds that they may be known to a party or parties involved in the trial should normally be deferred or moved to an alternative court where the excusal grounds may not exist."
Not one I'm likely to be able to manage as a civil litigator! Nowadays, there's very few exceptions - even CPS employees can serve where a different authority is prosecuting!
Oh bum!! That's no good, is it? How the hell did that one pass me by?? It did occur to me earlier that whilst I knew law grads *used* to be exempt, I should maybe double check that it was still the case.
ReplyDeleteMichael's thought process: nah, it's 10.00 o'clock, you're shagged out; just get the thing posted.
That'll teach me I guess.
I'd love to see a Batman impersonator apply to be excused on the basis that he's "involved in the administration of justice" ! ;)
ReplyDeleteI did jury service about six months before I was due to start the GDL. It was a) a good opportunity to have a rest from my long hours at work, b) an excellent opportunity to read a couple of books, as there was quite a bit of waiting around and c) an interesting experience once we got a case. I think that now I am a bit older and wiser on matters of criminal procedure I would have taken a very different approach to the way that I considered the case.
ReplyDeleteAs cheesy as it sounds I would LOVE to do jury service, just to see how it is on the other side. But then I'm sure the whole 'but I know the law' thing would pop up somewhere :s
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't like to do the jury service... I'm too judgemental!
ReplyDeletea cj i know hated jury service because he got treated like cattle as opposed to being god in his own court.
ReplyDelete