On which devices can I complete the survey?
All of them! Phone, tablet, PC.
How were the judges I am asked to evaluate identified? What if the list of judges is not accurate or complete?
The objective is to match attorneys with judges before whom they have appeared. Thus, we identify the judges who are being evaluated and then determine which attorneys have entered an appearance in cases before these judges. This may result in judges being on your list before whom you have not appeared. For those judges, simply indicate where prompted that you did not appear before them during the evaluation period and the judges’ names will be removed from your list. You will also have the opportunity to enter the names of and complete questionnaires for up to five judges before whom you appeared on the courts under evaluation who are not on your initial list of judges.
How long does it take to evaluate a judge?
It typically takes only a few minutes to complete each questionnaire but can take longer depending on how much you write in the comment section.
What happens if I need to stop in the middle of a questionnaire?
If you need to stop in the middle of a questionnaire, make sure you click the “next” button at the bottom of that page to save the answers you have already completed. You can then close the evaluation window. When you are ready to continue with your evaluation, simply click the link provided in the initial email you received, and you will be able to pick up where you left off.
Do I need to complete the questionnaires for all the judges on my list at one time?
You can return as many times as you need to complete questionnaires for each judge on your list.
How will the judge see my answers?
Judges will not receive copies of individual completed questionnaires and will not be able to connect scores and/or comments submitted by a particular attorney with that attorney. Instead, responses submitted about each judge will be aggregated. Each evaluated judge will receive a confidential evaluation report, which will show respondents’ collective demographic information, statistical information about the number of responses received per question, and all narrative comments submitted. Narrative comments will be independently reviewed, and best efforts will be made to remove identifying information from the comments before they are included in a judge’s evaluation report. That said, we ask that attorneys avoid including identifying information about themselves or their cases when writing narrative comments.
Judges discuss their evaluation reports with their departmental Chief Justices with the goal of fostering professional development and self-improvement.
Are the results public information?
No. All completed questionnaires and evaluation reports are confidential. They are not shared publicly and will not appear in any online searches. Copies of a judge's evaluation report are provided only to the judge, the judge’s departmental Chief Justice, the Chief Justice of the Trial Court, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court.
How do you ensure an attorney's anonymity?
When an attorney submits a questionnaire, the system randomly assigns a code to represent the attorney. When responses are received by the Supreme Judicial Court for tabulation, they are associated with this code, not with the attorney's email or name. Judges do not have access to the underlying data and cannot match an attorney’s email or name with the assigned code.
Do you know if a particular attorney hasn't participated? Why am I getting reminders?
The system knows which attorney accounts still have judges left on their lists to evaluate and will automatically contact those attorneys when a reminder is sent. The Court does not track whether specific attorneys have submitted evaluations. Judges do not receive any information regarding which attorneys have or have not submitted completed questionnaires.
Questions, comments, suggestions?
The program is administered by the Supreme Judicial Court, which has supervisory responsibility over the Trial Court. Anna Rachel Dray-Siegel is the Judicial Performance Evaluation Coordinator for the SJC. You can contact her at JudEval@sjc.state.ma.us.