What is jury service and can you get out of it?

Jury service is a legal obligation, not an invitation. In England and Wales anyone on the electoral register aged 18 to 75 can be summoned, and ignoring a summons or failing to attend can result in a fine.

What it involves. You are summoned for a period — commonly around two weeks, though a trial can run longer — and attend court to be available. Not everyone summoned sits on a jury; you may wait, be selected, or be released. Jurors decide questions of fact: whether the prosecution has proved its case. The judge decides questions of law and directs the jury on it.

Who cannot serve. Disqualification applies to people with certain criminal convictions or current sentences, those on bail in criminal proceedings, and people who lack mental capacity. These are exclusions rather than excuses.

Deferral versus excusal. The system strongly prefers deferral — moving your service to a more convenient date, usually within twelve months. This is granted relatively readily for booked holidays, exams, medical procedures, business commitments at a critical point, or caring responsibilities that cannot be covered. You normally get one deferral.

Excusal, which removes the obligation entirely, is granted much less often and generally requires that the difficulty applies year-round — serious ill health, for example, or a caring role that cannot be arranged around any date. Recent prior service is also grounds.

Applications must be made promptly with supporting evidence, and refusal can be appealed.

Employment and money. Employers must allow you time off, though they are not obliged to pay you. The court pays a loss of earnings allowance capped at daily limits that are lower than many salaries, plus travel and a subsistence rate. Employers who continue paying usually require you to sign the certificate over.

Scotland has its own system. General information only.