CBA JEC looking for new recruits

The Judicial Evaluation Committee of the Chicago Bar Association is seeking volunteers. The following is a message from CBA JEC Chair Jeff Finke; CBA JEC Recruitment, Member Development & Retention Chair Michelle Carey; and the CBA's JEC Administrator, Phyllis Lubinski:

Interested in Strengthening Our Judiciary? The Chicago Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee Needs Investigators.

The Judicial Evaluation Committee (JEC) of the Chicago Bar Association plays a vital role in maintaining a fair, competent, and ethical judiciary. Our investigators interview judges and judicial candidates, review professional histories, and help prepare evaluations that voters and judges rely on when making informed decisions.

Right now, we’re looking for new investigators to join this important public service.

Who can serve?

• You must be a CBA member
• You must be a licensed attorney in Illinois with at least two years of legal experience

If you’re a retired attorney looking for a meaningful way to give back, serving on the JEC is an incredible opportunity to use your expertise for the public good.

If you’re an associate attorney hoping to expand your network, sharpen your skills, and get more deeply involved in the Chicago legal community, the JEC offers unmatched professional development and exposure.

This is not just volunteer work, it’s an extraordinary chance to improve our courts, support transparency, and ensure that our judicial system reflects the highest standards of professionalism.

If you’re interested in joining or learning more, reach out to the CBA’s JEC Administrator, Phyllis Lubinski, Plubinski@chicagobar.org. Your experience can make a real difference.

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FWIW here, with a few comments:

The CBA's memo mentions networking opportunities for younger lawyers. That may be an understatement. JEC service may give the ambitious young lawyer very specific and meaningful networking opportunities: If you read candidate biographies here, both current and former, you will note that a great many of the successful candidates have served on one or more judicial evaluation committees before running for the bench themselves. One important caveat: You can't serve on a JEC and run for judge. That's an automatic not recommended rating right there. So... you plan. You serve an election cycle or two and then run, taking care to resign first.

What if you're not a CBA member? Well, you could join. (Sadly, I failed to negotiate a commission arrangement before publishing this....) But, also, are you a member of any other bar associations? There are 13 bar associations who collaborate in the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening; each has its own JEC that you might join. (In the coming days, you may see 'pitches' from one or more of these, soliciting volunteers just as the CBA is doing here.) There are also suburban bar groups who are not affiliated with the Alliance who provide judicial evaluations; you might consider service on one of their JECs as an alternative to (or in addition to) service on the CBA JEC.

No evaluation system is perfect. But the quality and reliability of evaluations necessarily (and understanably) improves when more attorneys participate. If you are cynical type, perhaps this will resonate with you: Don't cede the field to those who may have an axe to grind, or partisan blinders, or extreme views on specific topics. Such persons will participate (and have participated) on evaluation committees regardless of whether you particpate. The candidates they approve without you will perhaps screw up your cases some day. Is that what you want? No? Then consider JEC service as a practical practice protection plan.