I know nothing about the court system!

Jess11

I've just retired and looking for something interesting to do. I want to go to a murder case in the criminal courts that is expected to last six weeks. I would like to be there for the most interesting parts. Are the first few days taken up with a lot of boring legal stuff, that I probably won't understand and swearing in the jury etc? When does the cross examination start. This case has a lot of witnesses and hours of CCTV evidence so I don't know the best time to start going to the case. Can anybody help, please?

smcgiff

It's possible/probable you'll find it hard to get a seat.

MarkAnthony

I think you're going to be bitterly disapointed in how routine it all is. Finding a seat wont be an issue tbh.

HeidiHeidi

MarkAnthony wrote: »

I think you're going to be bitterly disapointed in how routine it all is. Finding a seat wont be an issue tbh.

I would have to agree with this!

Go into the CCJ building some time and just wander around the courtrooms - very few, if any, will be restricted and you can just walk in and out.

But by and large court cases and evidence are better than any sleeping pill, especially in the afternoon after a big lunch

MarkAnthony

Sitting in the District Court watching all the minor stuff is great criac IMHO.

HeidiHeidi

MarkAnthony wrote: »

Sitting in the District Court watching all the minor stuff is great criac IMHO.

That is true, I'll grant you. All the world is there, and then some!

I haven't been in a District Court since they moved up to the new building - I hope the acoustics are a bit better than the Bridewell courts or any occasional visitor would be left utterly mystified!

Much more entertaining than a trial.

chops018

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

That is true, I'll grant you. All the world is there, and then some!

I haven't been in a District Court since they moved up to the new building - I hope the acoustics are a bit better than the Bridewell courts or any occasional visitor would be left utterly mystified!

Much more entertaining than a trial.

Only been in Bridewell once, attending counsel. Very grim place.

HeidiHeidi

chops018 wrote: »

Only been in Bridewell once, attending counsel. Very grim place.

They were some experience.

Not for the faint-hearted, on any side of the courtroom!

cml387

I agree that attending a district court for run of the mill stuff can be really entertaining if you're a people watcher like me!

Having been a juror on a more serious circuit court case, it can be pretty boring and often taken up with legal argument.

coconnellz

Some of the cases in the circuit court are laughable there was one case where a polish man stole a bottle of Baillie's that was on sale at €16 had to wait over an hour for interpreter to come and it was thrown out within 10 mins of starting

lawfilly

Im going to be a totally legal nerd and disagree that criminal cases can be great to watch! I think I know what case you are referring to but what I would suggest is to perhaps have a look at the legal report in the papers and it'll point out when interesting witnesses etc are being called.

The only thing Ill say about the CCj is that the food is woeful...my biggest gripe is you cant get a decent cup of coffee!! But there are lots of nice places to eat nearby.

conorh91

If people are interested in sitting-in on cases, I would advise the four courts; the Supreme Court and Personal Injuries are especially interesting.

Judicial Review in asylum might be interesting to some people with an interest in human rights, especially given the increased incidence of telescoped hearings and time limits.

MarkAnthony

+1 on the above, most dramatic cross-examination I've seen is in PI cases. Defence counsel taking no prisoners!

FreudianSlippers

If you are looking for a glimpse into how the legal system really works and you also want entertainment, I have 2 words for you: Master's Court.

conorh91

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

If you are looking for a glimpse into how the legal system really works and you also want entertainment, I have 2 words for you: Master's Court.

AKA if you want to re-live that nauseating feeling of opening an exam paper, and reading a question you simply overlooked or were oblivious to. Except it's an oral exam. And your class is staring at you. Waiting. Interminably waiting.

coylemj

Now yer talking!

Greenmachine

You will see a lot of the jury being sent out of the room while both sides via for or against the admissability of evidence. The judge will weight it up and in some cases then tell the jury to disregard certain evidence with out any explanation. I have seen some pretty interesting thing from trial I have sat in on that the ludriciousy of allowing insanity as a defense.