Even lawyers serving as jurors can suffer serious consequences for Internet research in violation of the judge's orders. In March 2021 a 25-year veteran British solicitor was serving as a juror in a civil case. She researched real estate records relevant to the case, disclosed her findings to the jury, caused a mistrial, and delayed a retrial for 8 months at substantial expense to the parties and lawyers. The solicitor spent 4 months in jail, literally serving as a jailhouse lawyer assisting her fellow inmates. In addition, she failed to maintain the public confidence in the solicitor profession. (Solictors assist trial lawyers but do not themselves appear as a barrister, that is, trial counsel.). In January 2024 she was suspended from practicing law for 8 years and ordered to pay 5,000 pounds in costs.
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