Jury duty during interview season

[DrRiker]

It happened. For the second time in one year. Right in the middle of interview season. Service, if I am called in, starts in 3 weeks. I have an interview in 1 week and no others yet scheduled. Jury service would only become a problem if a school actually assigns an interview date conflicting with jury service, or if I end up on an OJ Simpson type of trial that consumes the entire season.

How could jury service affect my interview season? For the ADCOMs out there, how flexible would you be with accommodating for jury service? If all interview dates were full except for the one that conflicts with jury service, do you think that we would be able to find a solution?

I don't anticipate a problem since the service is early in the season and just a few weeks away, but I ask the question for the sake of preparedness. This summons is for state court, and my previous summons was for federal court, so I'm not sure if it would be possible to request a waiver. Didn't actually end up serving for the previous summons.

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[gyngyn]

Request a delay.

 

[LizzyM]

If you are on a jury, the school is likely to work around your schedule. Are you in a jurisdiction that specifies one day or one trial (you serve for one day unless you are picked for jury in which case you attend that one trial and you're done) or are you in a jurisdiction that requires you to serve for a longer period of time (e.g. report to the courthouse every day for two weeks)? In my experience, jury trials have been short -- not more than 3 consecutive days. That should not be too great a burden in an interview season that lasts at least 4 months.

 

[DrRiker]

Request a delay.

If you are on a jury, the school is likely to work around your schedule. Are you in a jurisdiction that specifies one day or one trial (you serve for one day unless you are picked for jury in which case you attend that one trial and you're done) or are you in a jurisdiction that requires you to serve for a longer period of time (e.g. report to the courthouse every day for two weeks)? In my experience, jury trials have been short -- not more than 3 consecutive days. That should not be too great a burden in an interview season that lasts at least 4 months.

It seems to fortunately be a one day one trial jurisdiction. You're right, I doubt that my service would last more than one week. I'm mostly concerned about being able to reschedule any interviews that.

Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket.

 

[CarrotMink]

This happened to me last year. I went to the initial jury service where they selected unbiased jurors for the case. I think you could either a) try to present yourself as a biased candidate for the particular case or b) ask for a pardon by explaining your situation to the lawyers. I did the latter and they just signed my sheet and let me go.
There is a lot of randomness in both processes (interviewing and jury duty) so hopefully, it all works out. Alternatively, you can ask for it to be delayed as mentioned.

 

[candbgirl]

But you should try to go and get it out of the way. I asked for a delay and exactly two months later I was called again. If you already know the date just don’t schedule an interview around that time.

 

[bopper]

Ask for a delay. Say you have med school interviews. They will just push off your jury duty until later. I did that when I had a business trip. But they will follow up.

Alternately you could hope you don't have to actually go (they have you call the night before).
If you do have to go and if you do get selected, they will ask you if you could serve the X days of a trial. If at that point you have an interview already scheduled, then you would say that you could not as you have pre-paid travel already scheduled.