What to Expect on Jury Service UK: My First-Hand Experience

What to Expect on Jury Service UK: My First-Hand Experience

If you’re self-employed and have been called for jury service in the UK, you might be wondering how you’re going to manage your work while also attending court. I recently completed jury service as a self-employed Virtual Assistant and although I received information beforehand, I still felt nervous about the unknown. I had questions about everything from getting to court and what to take with me, to whether I could work while I was there, what I could claim and how much notice I would get about each day. In this guide, I’ll share my first-hand experience of what to expect on jury service, including how I prepared my business, what my days looked like and how I managed client work around court.

How Do You Prepare for Jury Service When You’re Self-Employed?

As a self-employed Virtual Assistant, I was worried about how jury service would affect my client work. I knew the dates in advance, but I had no idea how much time I would spend in court.

I front-loaded as much work as possible into the first two weeks of the month and reminded my clients that I would be on jury service. I cleared outstanding emails and put an out-of-office message on my main email account to explain that my response times might be slower. I also took my laptop so I could work when I wasn't needed in court.

I also arrived in town early on court days and worked from a coffee shop before I needed to report to court. Getting ahead beforehand and making use of these small pockets of time made running my business during jury service much easier.

What Should You Bring to Jury Service?

If you’re wondering what to bring to jury service, it’s worth packing for some waiting around. I took a packed lunch, snacks and a drink in a clear bottle with a screw top lid so I didn’t have to worry about it leaking in my bag.

As I’m self-employed, I also took my laptop and phone so I could work during any downtime. I bought a new laptop sleeve to give my laptop some extra protection while carrying it around in my bag. For client work, I used my phone’s hotspot rather than public Wi-Fi for extra security. I also took a power bank in case I needed to charge my devices, although I didn’t end up needing it.

There were lockers in the main jurors' area, although there weren't many keys available. You are allowed to take your belongings into the courtroom with you, so I took all my belongings with me and kept them under the table in the jury box. This meant I didn't have to worry about leaving my laptop and other valuables behind. 

Image description: My laptop and bags packed ready to take with me for jury service.

What Should You Wear for Jury Service?

I wore smart casual clothes for jury service, but I didn't buy anything new and just wore my normal everyday clothes. Jeans and trainers were fine, so you don't need to dress formally.

You could be at court for several hours, so I would prioritise being comfortable and wearing clothes you are happy to sit around in for most of the day.

I’d also recommend wearing layers or taking a jacket. During my jury service in September, the main jurors’ waiting area was very warm, while the courtroom was much colder because of the air conditioning. The barristers were wearing traditional gowns and wigs, so the cooler courtroom made sense. Every court will be different, but I was glad I had layers.

What Happens on the First Day of Jury Service?

On my first day of jury service, I was asked to arrive at court at 9 am. Parking in my town centre can be difficult, so I decided to take the bus instead. As I wasn't sure how reliable the bus would be, I left home a couple of hours early. I found a coffee shop in town and used the extra time to get some client work done before I needed to go in.

When I arrived, I went through court security and signed in using my photo ID and jury service confirmation letter. My bag was checked and I had to walk through a metal detector. I was allowed to take my drink through, although security asked me to take a sip from it. Other liquids, including perfume and aftershave, were taken from people at security, so it’s worth checking what you have in your bag before you leave home. I found a clear drinking bottle with a screw top worked well.

On the first day, I entered through the court’s main entrance. After that, jurors used a separate entrance at the back of the court and signed in at the security desk each day.

Once everyone had arrived, the court staff explained what would happen during jury service and we watched an introductory video. After that, there was a lot of waiting.

I wasn't selected for a trial that day and at around 1 pm we were told we could go home. Later that afternoon, I received a text telling me that I needed to report to court at 11 am the following day.

My first day was much less intimidating than I had expected. Most of it was checking in, learning how everything worked and waiting to find out whether I would be needed.

What Does a Typical Day on Jury Service Look Like?

I learnt that there isn't a typical day on jury service. Your start time, finish time and how much time you spend in court can change from one day to the next.

On my second day (Tuesday), I had been told to arrive at 11 am. As mentioned above, you receive a text message, email or both telling you what time to arrive at court. As I was already getting the bus into town, I went in early and worked in a coffee shop.

I reported to court at 11 am and wasn’t called into the courtroom until 12 pm. We then stopped for lunch from 1–2 pm, which was the usual lunch break at my court. I went back into the courtroom at around 3.15 pm and finished at approximately 4 pm when the case ended.

At the end of each day, I received a text or email telling me whether I was needed the following day and what time I should report to court. At around 5 pm on Tuesday, I was told I wasn’t needed on Wednesday and could stay at home. I continued to receive updates and wasn’t required to attend court on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.

The biggest challenge to be prepared for is uncertainty. You don't know what time you'll be needed until around 4/5pm the day before, how long you'll be there or what the following day will look like, so it is best to be prepared with everything you need to work.

How Much Waiting Around Is There on Jury Service?

There can be a lot of waiting around during jury service. In my experience, whenever I was waiting to be called, I usually had at least an hour, which gave me enough time to get a decent chunk of work done, plus working for a couple of hours in the morning too.

I took my laptop with me and worked from the main jurors’ waiting area using my phone’s hotspot. When we were called into court, I sometimes had to save what I was doing and shut my laptop down quite quickly, but this wasn't a problem.

The difficult part was not knowing exactly when I would be called. I couldn't plan my working day in the way I normally would, but I was surprised by how much work I managed to fit into the waiting periods.

If you're self-employed during jury service, I would definitely take work with you if it's practical. Just make sure it's something you can stop quickly when you're called.

What Happens If You Aren’t Needed for Jury Service?

You may not be needed at court every day during your jury service. In my case, I attended court on two days during the first week and was then on call at home for the rest of that week. I returned to court for two more days the following week before I was released from jury service.

On the days I wasn't needed, I was free to carry on with my normal work at home. This was useful for me as a self-employed Virtual Assistant because I could use those days to catch up with client work. However, I couldn't plan for them in advance because I didn't know when I would or wouldn't be needed.

This is why I found the uncertainty of jury service harder to manage than the actual time I spent in court.

Do You Get Paid for Jury Service?

You do not get paid for jury service by the court. If you're employed, your employer may continue to pay you while you're serving, although this will depend on your employer.

If you're self-employed, you can make a claim towards loss of earnings. However, the amount you can claim is capped and may be much less than you would normally earn in a day.

In my case, I had front-loaded as much of my Virtual Assistant work as possible before jury service started. I also managed to work during some of the waiting periods and on the days I wasn't required at court, so I decided not to claim for loss of earnings.

If you do expect to lose income, check the current loss of earnings allowance before your jury service starts, as the amount you can claim may change.

What Jury Service Expenses Can You Claim?

I claimed my bus fare to and from court and had to keep my bus tickets as proof. I lived too close to the court to claim parking costs, so I was expected to use public transport instead. It’s worth checking the travel rules before your jury service, particularly if you are planning to drive.

You can also claim an allowance towards food and drink. When I completed my jury service, this was £5.71 per day. I had to tick the relevant box on my expenses form and didn't need to provide food receipts. As I took a packed lunch with me, the allowance easily covered any coffees I bought during the day.

My court also had a canteen serving reasonably priced food, coffee and cakes. I took a packed lunch most days, but it was good to have the canteen there as another option – especially for a coffee to go with my lunch.

Overall, I wasn’t out of pocket for my day-to-day jury service expenses because I took my own lunch and claimed back my bus fares. On the first day, I was given an expense claim form to keep until my jury service had finished. Once I was released from jury service, I completed the form, attached my bus fare receipts and dropped it off by hand at the court a few days later.

How Long Does Jury Service Last?

When you are called for jury service in the UK, you are usually told to expect it to last around two weeks. However, this doesn't necessarily mean you will be at court every day.

During my first week, I reported to court on Monday and Tuesday and served on a short case on the Tuesday. I wasn't needed at court for the rest of that week. The following week, I reported to court again on Monday and Tuesday. Both were relatively short days and I was then released from jury service. I was not selected for any more trials.

So although I had originally prepared for two full weeks away from my normal routine, I only physically attended court on four days.

Some trials can last longer than two weeks, so there is no guarantee that your experience will be the same. If you're self-employed, I would prepare for the full period you have been given and treat any days you aren't needed as a bonus to catch-up with work.

What I Wish I’d Known Before Jury Service

The main thing I wish I'd known before starting jury service was how unpredictable it would be. I had prepared myself to spend two full weeks at court, but in reality I was only required to attend on four days.

I also hadn't realised how much downtime there could be. Taking my laptop meant I could use that time to keep on top of client work. My laptop is a gaming laptop and it was a joy to work on during jury service. It was fast, reliable and just worked whenever I needed it. Having good tech made the whole experience much less stressful because I knew I could open my laptop and get straight to work.

I've written separately about Why I Bought a Gaming Laptop for Work as a Virtual Assistant if you're interested in the laptop I use and why I chose it.

A few other things made the experience easier: taking a packed lunch and snacks, wearing layers, using my phone's hotspot for secure client work and leaving plenty of time to get to court.

Most importantly, I wish I'd worried less about it beforehand. Once I knew where I needed to go and how the days worked, jury service was much less daunting than I had imagined.

FAQs

Q. Can I take my laptop to jury service?

Yes, I took my laptop with me and used it to work during the longer waiting periods. I kept it with me and took it into the courtroom in my bag when we were called.

Q. Can I work while waiting during jury service?

I was able to. There were periods of an hour or more when I could get some client work done. I just had to be prepared to save my work and shut my laptop down quickly when we were called.

Q. Do I need to take lunch to jury service?

You don't need to. My court had a canteen selling reasonably priced food, coffee and cakes. I preferred to take a packed lunch and use my food and drink allowance towards coffees.

Q. Do you have to attend court every day during jury service?

Not necessarily. I was required to report to court on two days during my first week and was then on call at home for the rest of the week. I returned for two more days the following week before I was released from jury service. During that time, I only served on one short case. I received a text message or email telling me whether I needed to report to court and what time to arrive for the following day.

Q. Is jury service stressful when you're self-employed?

The uncertainty was the hardest part for me because I didn't know how much work I would be able to do. Preparing my client work beforehand and taking my laptop with me made it much easier to manage.

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