Law Weblog

Sorry, more about the barrister on jury service; we can’t resist it.

Wednesday 16 June 2004 at 8:24 pm | In News | Post Comment

We did warn you that the stories about “lawyers on jury service” had a long way to run.
Today, in the magazine “The Lawyer”, it is reported that the QC who was discharged from jury service at the Old Bailey has in fact been discharged three times in the last eight days because he keeps bumping into colleagues.

The QC was summoned to do jury service on 6 April the day after new legislation came into force.

The reasons: “…he practised there {the south Eastern Circuit] on a regular basis…” “he knew too much about the system”. “…he knew the judge.”.    Of course the anonymous juror (all jurors are entitled to anonymity) did not discharge himself, the judges did that.

It appears that the QC was feeling a bit miffed and applied to the Old Bailey’s most senior judge, the Recorder of London Michael Hyam to discharge him from jury service. Judge Hyam refused his application.