Jury duty – it’s a public responsibility that has a bad reputation.  Reynolds Defense Firm is in Oregon, but this is a nationwide situation. Plenty of people groan when they get that dreaded letter in the mail.  We talk about how inconvenient it is, and how we absolutely do not want to go.  Some us even google ways to avoid being selected, and if that doesn’t work, we pray it’s not “one of those cases” that takes longer than a day or two. These are all common views, and as it turns out, one of our attorneys was selected for jury duty this year.  After spending some time away from the firm, he shocked us all when he came back to work with a unique perspective.

What happened to change his mind?

He, like most of us, avoided jury duty as long as possible.  Finally, his turn came around, and he had run out of extensions.  Like most of us, he wasn’t looking forward to it, but he still went.  When he came back refreshed and with a new outlook on his service, we were all curious to hear about what caused his new mindset shift.

As it turns out, he LOVED jury duty!  He was finally able to get away from the demands of his regular, everyday life.  He had some time to read a book for enjoyment.  He even used this as an opportunity to get some well-deserved head space. The Reynolds Defense Firm team now refers to his jury duty as a “stay-cation”!

It is not exactly how most people would describe their required experience at the courthouse, but it shows you just how much perspective plays into how you experience everything in your life.  Regardless of his outlook, he had to participate as a juror in court.  Rather than spending his energy being angry about waiting around all day, he chose to take advantage of the opportunity.