Attention first-time judicial candidates....

Tuesday was the first day for judicial candidates to circulate petitions for the March 2018 primary.

You know this. Your attorney has approved your petition forms (you do have an attorney who knows election law, right?) and you, and your spouse, and those friends of yours who couldn't think up an excuse quickly enough, are walking around with sheets. Maybe you've met your local committeeman; maybe your local committeeman thinks you're the bees' knees. Maybe not. Maybe you couldn't find your ward or township office even with GPS.

But you're smart, you're talented, and you're ambitious. You are going to make this run, no matter who else is running, no matter how long the odds. (Maybe you're counting on your innate Irish luck, and your easily-pronounced, easily-remembered name, to vault you to the top.)

But have you submitted your stellar credentials for review by your peers yet? Many of you applied for associate judge earlier this year just to get that ball rolling. Smart. But the spirit only recently moved some of you.

If you haven't been evaluated yet, it behooves you to reach out to Joyce Williams, who serves as as administrator for the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening, at jwilliams@isba.org, and Therese Kurth, who coordinates matters for the Chicago Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Committee, at tkurth@chicagobar.org.

Good luck.