This information applies to Northern Ireland

Work commitments can be important and hard to break. Being busy at work isn't enough to excuse you from jury service altogether, but you can ask for your service to be postponed until a later date. Postponing for this kind of personal reason is known as deferral of jury service.  

Your work commitments may prevent you from serving on a jury at the time that you are summoned but won't prevent you from serving at another date. If your service is deferred, you will be asked to confirm any other dates in the year when you won't be able to attend, so that you are given a new date that is convenient. Jury service can only be deferred once.

You apply to have your jury service deferred by completing part two of your summons form. When this has been accepted, you will get a letter confirming the deferral and giving you a new date for your jury service. You cannot defer twice and must attend on this second occasion.

You can find out more about Jury service at www.courtsni.gov.uk.

Other Frequently asked questions about legal matters:

• Can I claim money I am owed by taking a case to court?
• I need a solicitor but I don’t have much money, what can I do?
• My partner has been sent to prison - where can I get advice and information for myself and for her?
• I've been summoned for jury service but have already booked to go on holiday at that time. What can I do?
• I've been summoned for jury service. I've been convicted of a driving offence in the past. Will it affect my serving on the jury?