Regulars don't have the only slate in the primary

There'd been talk about them for weeks -- four younger lawyers running together, constituting their own slate for the coming primary. The 'four classmates', some called them, but authoritative confirmation about who they were or why they were running together was lacking. Now John Flynn Rooney, in the January 31 issue of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, has supplied the facts. Here is an excerpt from Rooney's article:

Four lawyers who joined the bar together in late 2000 are now running for judge together, slating themselves in four separate Cook County Circuit Court races in the Democratic primary on Tuesday.

The candidates formed their own political action committee named "Citizens for an Independent Judiciary," according to two of them, David John Mulvihill and Joseph Robert Papavero. The four also used that name on campaign financial disclosure reports filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

The other two members of the group who are appearing on the Feb. 5 ballot are Peter John Curielli and Kristyna Colleen Ryan. All four were admitted to practice law in Illinois on Nov. 9, 2000.

The campaigns are self-financed, Papavero said Thursday. Mulvihill, Papavero and Ryan each have campaign Web sites.

Mulvihill, Papavero and Ryan graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law together in 2000. Curielli is a graduate of DePaul University College of Law.

Curielli and Papavero are name partners in Curielli & Papavero Ltd. in Glenview. The two also maintain separate law practices, Papavero said.

Ryan is a sole practitioner in Chicago, while Mulvihill is a senior attorney in LaSalle Bank Corp.'s legal department.

The four candidates ducked screenings before The Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Council of Lawyers — and received negative ratings from a total of 11 bar groups.

"We disagree with the bar associations' criteria for qualifications for judicial candidates," including the number of years a lawyer has practiced, Mulvihill said in a telephone interview Thursday afternoon.

The CBA's long-standing benchmark for legal experience to become a judge is 12 years.

Rooney's story also explains how Papavero's campaign survived a challenge because he filed as "Joseph," not as Giuseppe. As Giuseppe R. "Joe" Papavero, Joseph Robert Papavero previously ran as a Republican in the 12th Subcircuit in 2006.

Each of the 'four classmates' is now running countywide. Papavero is a candidate for the Keehan vacancy. Curielli is running for the Healy vacancy. Ryan is a candidate for the Murphy vacancy, while Mulvihill is a candidate for the Thomas vacancy.