This just in from from Lisa Solomon, of QuestionOfLaw. Lisa provided this great guest post today.
I’m a staunch home office advocate, having practiced exclusively from a home office for the past 10 years. This week, I have been commuting into lower Manhattan from my New York City suburb for jury duty. This is how things have gone:
Day 1: Scheduled to arrive at court at 8:30 a.m. Get up at 6:00. Leave the house at 7:00 to catch a 7:30 train. I haven’t been to the train station in months. The only lot that regularly has metered day-long parking is now for permit parkers only, due to station construction. Drive over to the substitute metered lot and get one of the last 3 metered spaces available. Arrive at Grand Central on time, take the subway two express stops and get to court on time. Starts raining during the day. Court is dismissed at 5:30. There are no express subway trains running back to Grand Central. Finally get home around 7:00 p.m.
Day 2: Scheduled to arrive at court at 9:15 a.m. Get up at 6:00. Leave at 7:30 to catch an 8:00 train. Since I knew there wouldn’t be any metered all-day spots left, I decided to park in a garage with 5-hour meters, and deal with the parking ticket I would certainly be getting. The two of the three levels of the garage were blocked off due to construction, but I was able to park. There were delays on the subway running downtown. Even though court was supposed to start at 9:15, we couldn’t start until all jurors arrived: the last one showed up at 9:45 because of subway delays.
Day 3: Scheduled to arrive at court at 9:15 a.m. Get up at 6:30. Leave at 7:40 to catch an 8:00 train. Half of the remaining parking spaces on the only open level in the garage are blocked off for some reason, but I get a spot. No time to get breakfast first, so I pick up a bagel in Grand Central. Jammed like sardines into a downtown express train: barely room to raise the bagel to my mouth. Get to court on time, but have to wait for the same juror who arrived last yesterday: there were two sick passengers on her train today.
I can’t believe there are people who go through this every day!
