NOTE: This is a migrated entry.
So I got summoned back in February to go to Jury Duty. I was asked to postpone until August. So I went today.
Before, when I was paid hourly, I could easily get out with a letter from HR stating that they would not pay jury pay. Unfortunately, that doesn't fly now that I'm salaried, as part of it is paid by my company. However, I still managed to make do. Before I reveal the magic, I just had some observations.
First off, I think the current process for JD is unnecessarily bureaucratic. They send you a notice in the mail to show up on a certain day at a certain time to wait to possibly be called to serve on a jury. Why not just send a notice telling you that you've been explicitly selected for a trial, and must show up to court by a certain date unless you have a viable excuse? Get rid of the interstitial waiting period, it's a waste of people's time and not worth it. $15/day? For potentially 8 hours x 20 days worth of serving? Seems as though it hasn't caught up with the economy.
There is one good thing about JD: there is always at least 3 sexy females up there waiting right along with you. It's a prime place to get phone numbers - if you're into that sort of thing. Me, I like looking at them, not necessarily talking to them (because they're always stuck up anyway).
Anyway, how I got out of it: generally trials are quoted at 3-7 days long. That's business days, of course. That means, if your company pays less than 7 business days, you're in a good spot. Using mine as an example, they pay "a week" - which equates to 5 business days. The possibility that the trial could go 7 business days is the catch. That means two business days your company is not paying. That's money not going to bills/expenses. That's your hardship, and even if they require you show up at the waiting room, you won't get assigned to a trial.
Now, your company may pay 10 days or even unlimited in some cases. You're screwed. Accept it and get ready for trial. But if your company pays little to no days for jury service, you have an out.
DISCLAIMER: The above presentation does not apply to Federal jury service which does not acknowledge financial hardship as an eligible excuse reason. Only County jury service allows for financial hardship.
