If you love true crime shows, boy, oh boy, I have a gig for you! Lawyers use virtual juries to try out their strategies before a case makes it to court, and you can get paid for participating. How fun is that!
The job requirements are pretty basic. Most of these sites require you to be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 and have no felony convictions. Depending on the case, there may be additional eligibility criteria.
The process usually involves filling out a form with your demographic information online. The info is used to match you with relevant cases.
How much do you get paid?
It depends. Based on the complexity and length of the case, you’ll likely see anything from $5 to $60. But I did see a stat that the average person will make $45 per hour if selected.
Now, there might not be a ton of opportunities to participate. The number of cases you get invited to can vary based on your demographic profile and the demand for jurors in your area with your background. In other words, this isn’t a reliable income stream, but it can be an interesting hobby.
OK, let’s do this
Want to try it? You’ve got options:
- eJury allows attorneys to receive feedback before cases go to court. As a virtual juror, you review cases and answer questions that help lawyers prepare for trial.
- OnlineVerdict lets you review legal cases submitted by attorneys and provide feedback. Each case takes about 30 to 60 minutes to review.
- JuryTest is where attorneys upload case materials and jurors provide their opinions on the case. You can listen to or read case details, then answer questions or give a verdict.
- SignUpDirect lets you participate in mock juries and research projects for legal cases. You can register on the website to be notified when new cases are available.
Protect your primary email address
Disposable email addresses are your friends when checking out new opportunities. You don’t want to hand over your primary email address when looking for a side gig, which could lead to spammy messages.
- In Gmail, you can create disposable email addresses by adding a plus sign (+) and any word or number combination before the @ symbol in your email address. For example, if your email is HottieWhoLikesToParty[@]gmail.com, you could use HottieWhoLikesToParty+OnlineJuryDuty[@]gmail.com.
- Subscribe to Apple’s iCloud+? You can get free @iCloud addresses. It’s called Hide My Email. I use it all the time.
- Temp Mail or 10MinuteMail are two sites that let you create disposable email addresses.
Again, I want to stress that the number of virtual jury opportunities varies drastically. These sites may have no cases available one day and five the next. So check out each one and put your name in where interested.