Review of jury duty service.
Parking - Parking in downtown is very difficult. There is a very small paid parking lot walking distance from the courthouse. I did see plenty of open spots around 6:45-7am. Prices are steep for parking in downtown, but if it's essential for you to commute yourself, there are lots around the area. You may need to come in early to secure a spot. The court even heavily emphasize uses public transportation because of the difficulty with parking. On your first day of jury service, they will give out passes for public transportation.
Attire - You are required to wear business casual clothing. This means no jeans, t-shirts, hats, sandals, or anything that it is inappropriate. However, half of the jurors didn't abide by the dress code. Many people were wearing jeans and T-shirts and a few people were wearing tops with their midriff showing. I'd recommend following the guidelines since I don't know if there are actual consequences for not abiding with the dress code. It's important to note that you will be doing a lot of sitting and may be doing some walking so make sure you wear comfortable clothing and shoes. The building can get cold so it'd be good to bring a jacket or sweater. When you enter the courthouse, you will be required to enter through security. If you are wearing a jacket you will need to take it off and put it through the scanning belt so make sure you are dressed appropriately under your jacket.
Jury service - Make sure to bring your summons with you. Once you enter the juror room, you will be given a time card that you must carry with you to clock in and out of jury duty each day. It is really important that you don't lose this because this is used to give to your employer as proof of service. I would recommend bringing a folder so you can put all the papers and documents they give you in it so you don't lose anything.
You'll be introduced to the jury service process and will watch a video on jury services. They will instruct you on how to fill out your summons form and give you public transportation passes. Once there are cases that need juries, they will call out names to be selected for the jury selection process. They will schedule times for breaks and at 11:30am they break for 1.5 hour lunch. Our group was dismissed from service right before lunch because there weren't any more cases to be assigned to for the day. I highly recommend bringing a book/tablet or headphones as you may be sitting for a long time. Might be worth bringing a small phone charger. The seats were quite uncomfortable (I wish I brought a seat cushion lol)
While you wait - There are breaks that occur throughout the day so you can go grab a bite. There is a little kitchen in the room with a microwave and vending machine. Take a few dollars in cash as the card and tap to pay options weren't working. There is also a cafeteria next to the room and there are plenty of food places within walking distance. They will briefly go over some places you can go to eat or grab coffee.
All in all, the process was pretty easy. I only had to serve half a day as our group was dismissed early. Every single person I interacted with was very kind and helpful. You'll probably make a friend or two since there will be plenty of other people trying to figure out where the heck to go and what to do :) The courtroom is very nice and clean. I've served in LA and this one was significantly nicer. Outside of having to be at the courthouse so early on the first day, the parking and commute was probably the worst part of the experience. I've served on a jury in the past. It's not that bad. Inconvenient, but definitely something worth experiencing and, of course, it's part of our civic duty. read more