Information For Jurors

In this section you will find infomation to help you understand what to expect of your Jury service throughout the whole process.

• Serving as a juror in the Coroner's court

  This section of the website explains what to do if you have been summoned to serve on a jury and what to expect in court. At most inquests, there is no jury as the Coroner makes all the decisions. However, at a small number of inquests, a jury is needed...

• What to do with your jury summons

  This page explains what to do if you receive a summons for jury service in the post. Why have I been summoned? Your name has been chosen at random from the electoral register. Most people eligible to vote in the UK will be asked to do jury service at some point in their lives...

• If you are excused from serving

  If you are not qualified to serve, or if the Coroner agrees to your reason for asking to be excused, we will write to you to say that you do not need to come to court. You do not need to do anything else, and we will not ask you to serve again in future...

• If you have your service deferred to a later date

  If the Coroner agrees to defer (put off) your service to a later date, we will write to let you know. You do not need to come to court for the date on your summons...

• If you are accepted onto the jury

  If you are accepted on to the jury, we will write to let you know. Your letter will include a map and travel guide, and information about claiming expenses. It is very important that you attend on the date of your summons...

• What to expect on your first day

  What should I wear/bring? There is no formal dress code for the Coroner's court. However, the family of the person who has died will be there and we ask jurors to dress reasonably smartly out of respect. It is not necessary to wear a suit: smart casual clothes are fine...

• What to expect during the hearing

  Hearing the evidence There will be several witnesses at the inquest. The Coroner will call each one in turn and in most cases will take them through a statement or report that they have prepared in advance. The Coroner will ask any questions that they have...

• How long will the hearing last?

  Your summons form will have an approximate end date for your service. This is our best guess, based on what we know in advance about the case...

• If there is a problem

  Before the inquest hearing starts If a problem comes up - for example, you are taken ill or you unexpectedly need to care for a relative - let us know straight away. We may be able to excuse you or defer your service to a later date...

• Claiming expenses

  The allowances you can claim are set out by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and are the same as for jurors in all other courts. Loss of earnings If you are employed, and your employer will not continue to pay you while on jury service, you can claim for loss of earnings...