The Chicago Bar Association is looking for new members for the Investigation Division of its Judicial Evaluation Committee.
In an email sent yesterday, the CBA reminded members that its "Judicial Evaluation Committee serves the legal profession and the public by investigating and providing substantive recommendations regarding judicial candidates and sitting judges seeking retention. It is among the most valuable and essential work performed by the CBA."
Current members do not have to reapply. But all persons "with a few years of practice experience" looking to volunteer can get an application by simply clicking on this link. The completed form should be sent to Therese Kurth by fax to (312) 554-2054 or by email to tkurth@chicagobar.org on or before May 15, 2018. Applicants will be contacted by a committee member thereafter.
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DO I GET CLE CREDIT?
When I successfully ran for judge several years ago it was not a pleasant experence. Between the exhausting campaigning; feeling compelled to hire useless consultants out of fear of having them torpedo my campaign if I refused; paying tribute to greedy committeemen who claimed to be able to deliver the sun and the moon but delivered dirt; and the endless nickel and diming from printers, election attorneys, and campaign accountants; the unpleasantries were endless.
Equally terrible were the bar association evaluations. You might expect professional courtesy to be extended from Bar members to Bar members, however, I found that not to be the case. It is my opinion that it is irresponsible and discourteous to those being evaluated for judge to require 10-12 years of experence yet maintain far less stringent requirements for those performing the evaluations. In contrast the FAA mandates that only pilots with thousands of flight hours are eligible to evaluate and approve those seeking new pilot licenses. It makes absolutely no sense to set such a low bar of "a few years of practice experience" to serve on a bar JEC. The evaluators are simply not qualified to evaluate which delegitimizes the entire process. Nothing has changed from the time I ran to now.
I agree with a comment from a previous post that bar associations will continue with their evaluations as it vests them with a lot of power, at least over those seeking judicial office. Additionally, it makes the bar associations appear as if they are providing a beneficial service, free of charge, to the public. Public perception is more important than reality as those of us on the inside however know that if bar associations do anything well; it is giving awards, recognitions, and honors, to their members. It would be nice if they bar association JEC's performed as well as their MAC's (mutual admiration committees).
Is the CBA's JEC email much different than, "Judges needed for the next Olympic Games. Little knowledge or experience in any sport is required."
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