Learn about the basic elements of a jury trial. I served on a jury, tried to get out of it every which way without lying.Focus on "filling in the blanks" of the jury instructions particular to your case. A jury trial is waivable at any stage of the proceeding, assuming defense also consents. (6) All limited civil cases in which no jury trial is demanded and the estimated time for trial is less than three days (15 hours of court time); and. Anyone who has been charged with a misdemeanor or felony crime is entitled to a jury trial and it's a crucial part of the criminal case process. At some point, everyone called for jury duty will listen to instructions from the jury foreman. A jury trial is sometimes called "a jury of one's peers," because the jury is made up of members of the community. A potential juror is someone who has received a "Summons for Jury Service" in the mail. The juror self-check-in is available at all courthouse locations that conduct jury trials.