Source:komando.com

Why You Should Embrace Jury Duty Instead of Dreading It

Nearly 200,000 Americans are sent a summons for jury duty each year. According to a recent survey, nearly 67 percent of Americans believe that serving on a jury is a key ingredient of being a good citizen. Regardless of what your views of jury duty are, you stand a good chance of receiving a summons one day that it is your time to carry out this task.

Some people think that they can just ignore this summons, but this is not the case. According to lorenzandlorenz.com, skipping jury duty can result in the judge issuing a bench warrant for your arrest.

Instead of dreading jury duty, you need to embrace it and use it as a learning experience. Read below to find out more about the benefits of jury duty and why every American should take the chance to have this experience.

A Great Way to Learn About the Legal System

Source:uscourts.gov

For most people, finding new and unique ways to learn more about the world around them is important. If a person wants to get an inside look at how the legal system in the United States works, there is no better way than to participate in jury duty. Being able to get a look at how lawyers use their knowledge to either exonerate or convict a person is simply fascinating.

By participating in jury duty, you can get a front-row seat to various types of trials. The more you know about the legal system and how it works, the easier you will find it to handle your own legal issues when they arise. Instead of looking at jury duty as something you are being forced to do, be positive about this experience and use it to learn more about the world around you.

Jury Duty Comes With a Lot of Free Time

Source:thebalancecareers.com

Receiving a summons for jury duty doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to get picked to serve on a jury. Generally, you will have to go through a lengthy interview process before you find out whether you are actually serving on the jury. If you are ultimately chosen, you will have a few days downtime before the trial actually starts.

However, these days will be spent sequestered, which means you will not be able to do things like go to work. Most jurors use this downtime to catch up on rest or relax. After all, most jobs will pay you for the time you are off serving on a jury. This means you can relax and wait for the trial to begin without worry.

Meeting New People is Always a Good Thing

Another jury duty benefit that tends to get overlooked is the ability it gives a person to meet a diverse group of individuals. You will usually be on jury duty with around 11 other people. Since you will be sequestered, it will allow you a lot of time to get to know each other. Taking this opportunity to meet and interact with new people can help you make friends or even engage in meaningful conversations.

Usually, the cases you will be involved in will last a few days. This is plenty of time to forge some new friendships that can carry on into the real world once your stint as a juror is over.

Source:rewire.org

Make the Most Out of This Situation

Keeping a positive attitude can help you get through the jury duty process with ease. If you go into this experience with bad thoughts, you are going to have a bad time. Making the most out of your time in the juror box will help you gain some legal knowledge and make some memories at the same time.