How to Plan for Jury Duty

You just opened up a piece of mail saying that you must report for Jury Duty, and you've never been on a jury before. You have no idea what to expect, but already you are getting nervous and wondering: what about work!?, how long will I be there?, what can I do while I'm waiting?, should I dress comfortably or dressy?, am I allowed to bring anything with me? who will take care of my children?

Instead of remaining nervous until your court date, take the time to become familiar with the Jury Duty process, and then relax until it's your day to report. Here's how to plan for Jury Duty.

Gather Information Early
You are not the only one who is a bit intimidated to make a court appearance at Jury Duty; nervousness is a common feeling when receiving this type of notification. To make yourself feel more acquainted with the idea of going to the courthouse, why not call the phone number printed on your letter to inquire about parking, bus routes, directions, or whatever it is you are worried about. Then, make a practice run a few days before your court date to see exactly how long it takes you to get there and park.

Prepare for Your Absence
Since Jury Duty is mandatory (unless you fit the requirements to opt out), you will have to ignore your scheduled life on your day of Jury Duty. All other responsabilities will need to be put aside for you to do your duty in court. That means that you will want to notify your boss a week or two ahead of time so he can plan on your absence at work. If you stay at home with your children, you will have to make other arrangements for them to stay with someone else that day (and possibly other days if you get on an extended case). Perhaps you bring and pick up your child to and from school each day; if so, you will have to find someone else who can do that. Whatever it is that you are responsible for on your assigned Jury Duty date will have to be handed off.

Call the Night Before
It is very possible that you may not even get chosen to attend Jury Duty. You will probably be directed in your letter to call the court's phone system the night before your scheduled court date to see if you still must attend Jury Duty the next day. When you call, you will find out whether you must attend, should stand by, or are completely finished. You won't really know if you're even still going to Jury Duty until you call the night before.

Pack Well
If you're still required to attend, pack well for the day. In a tote bag or backpack, bring a book or a few magazines that you're interested in reading, an iPod if you have one, your cell phone, some money & ID, tissue paper, bottled water, and maybe even a few snacks. You may even want to take a light jacket or sweater with you for in case it's cold in the building.

Dress For a Long Day
Dress for what could be a long day. Feel free to dress casually, but if it's important to you to not feel out of place in a courthouse, you may choose to dress even a little more than casual. Others reporting to Jury Duty will be dressed anywhere from business casual to lounge-wear. Go however you feel inclined to represent yourself.

Arrive Early
Arrive 15 - 20 minutes earlier than the time you're expected at Jury Duty, just to insure that you'll have enough time to find a parking spot and not rush. Enter the building and go through the metal detector. Find the room that says Jury Duty on it, and take your seat of choice. You are to stay here until further instructed.

Prepare to Wait
The person in charge will eventually come to the front and talk to the group of possible jurors. Then some other people will come to call most of the names in the group. (The names called will be at random, but in an orderly way. For instance, last names probably will be alphabetized and called starting with those that begin with letter A, but only a few beginning with A called randomly at a time. Last names will continue to be called all the way through the alphabet and begin again until each case has been filled.)

Listen for Your Name
If your name gets called, go with the assigned person to the place you are shown. If your name does not get called, then you will [eventually] be dismissed - probably after waiting another hour to find that out. Whether your name is called or not, you will have performed a very important duty just by reporting to Jury Duty; you will have given the courthouse your availability.

Jury Duty is a big deal, but there is no need to be nervous about it. Once you know how to plan accordingly for Jury Duty you will be able to put it out of your mind until your day arrives.