Jury service - an unexpected challenge

This was the 2nd time I had received a jury summons.?

The 1st occasion was 5 years or more ago now.?I think at the time the summons was for a number of weeks. It wasn't something I was able to commit to then given the nature of my work – my Deputy appointments were all personal appointments so no one could make decisions in my place.

The 2nd jury summons was 1st issued last year.?Unfortunately, at that time it clashed with COVID home schooling so I was able to defer it for up to 1 year.?This summons was for a 10 day period and was therefore easier to commit to.?Our Deputy appointments are now in the Trust Corporation so my fellow Directors were able to make decisions in my absence and my team picked up a lot of my work (have I ever mentioned I have the best team???).?In addition, my husband's firm (thank you Steve Waters and Wollens) were happy for him to work from home for that period to manage all childcare whilst I was at Court.

Like many lawyers, I have attended Court on countless occasions in my career.?For me, as a Court of Protection lawyer, the prospect of sitting as a juror in a criminal trial was one I found very interesting and something I hadn't done before.?I thought I would have an opportunity I wouldn't otherwise have to watch the process in action.?As a solicitor I knew what would be involved in terms of the process, but you rarely get the opportunity to sit back and watch it all unfold before you.?If you do attend Court, that is usually either as an advocate or in the role of supporting Counsel and your client – in either case, you're busy with the job at hand.?For me, I therefore saw the opportunity to sit as a juror as one to 'see it from the other side' so to speak.

As lawyers we are used to analysing evidence.?We are used to putting our personal feelings to one side to advise a client.?We are used to mediating through challenging situations to try and find workable solutions.?The nature of my work meant I genuinely didn't think I would find the process of making a decision on the evidence to be that challenging.?I thought I was quite good at taking a deep breath and getting on with it.

I was therefore very surprised to find the process really draining and also really quite emotional.?

We'd had a 2? day trial and 2 x ? days of deliberation - not significant in the scheme of things.

What I hadn't taken into account was the fact that every night you go home and you're not allowed to discuss what has happened with anyone at all – the Judge made our duty on that issue very clear!?It is so easy to take for granted the emotional support you receive from your colleagues and from your loved ones.?They're the ones you share your frustrations with, they cheer you up when you're down, they put an arm around your shoulder when you need it.?They let you "off load", clear your head and move on.?That's not some thing you can do on jury service.?The evidence, the decision I had to make and the impact of that on someone was the last thing I thought of at night and the first thing in the morning and I couldn't discuss that with anyone outside of that jury room.

I have the utmost respect for those colleagues who work in the criminal justice system.?They can work some very long hours in challenging circumstances and for often little financial reward.

The Judge was nothing other than fair – calm authority at all times.?The Court Ushers were fabulous.?Counsel for both the prosecution and the defence were superb especially with a highly emotional witness.?My fellow jurors were a lovely bunch who were committed to really challenging their views and listening to all the evidence.

Do I regret acting as a juror??Absolutely not.?It was interesting to both watch and be part of the process.

Would I recommend it??Yes, but don't underestimate the emotional challenge you may experience.

Would I do it again tomorrow??I think I'll have a glass of wine first and then possibly sit that one out for now.