Lawyers and retired judges will no longer be exempted for jury duty in NSW under new laws passed on Tuesday. Unless they're in the criminal justice system, in which case they can keep their Alan Shore and Denny Crane antics up for the rest of our entertainment.
Long excluded from jury duty on the basis that "we know too much", members of the profession will now have to do their civic duty just like everyone else. Hugh Macken, president of the Law Society of NSW, told RollOnFriday that “solicitors should be treated like all other members of the community and be given the opportunity to show cause as to why they should not be allowed to serve as jurors."
Others that have escaped blanket exemption include those aged over 70, pregnant women, carers of a person who is sick, infirm or disabled, and anyone who resides more than 56 kilometres from the court. But a person may claim an exemption for jury service if they can show "good cause". This can include having a disability, a conflict of interest that may result in a lack of impartiality, or being at risk of undue hardship as a result of serving. Does that include being short of target billables?
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Long excluded from jury duty on the basis that "we know too much", members of the profession will now have to do their civic duty just like everyone else. Hugh Macken, president of the Law Society of NSW, told RollOnFriday that “solicitors should be treated like all other members of the community and be given the opportunity to show cause as to why they should not be allowed to serve as jurors."
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A juror tomorrow |
Others that have escaped blanket exemption include those aged over 70, pregnant women, carers of a person who is sick, infirm or disabled, and anyone who resides more than 56 kilometres from the court. But a person may claim an exemption for jury service if they can show "good cause". This can include having a disability, a conflict of interest that may result in a lack of impartiality, or being at risk of undue hardship as a result of serving. Does that include being short of target billables?