Evaluations of a daunting total of 263 applicants for Cook County associate judge openings were sent last month by the Alliance of Bar Associations to Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans.

For several months, representatives of the 10 bar associations in the Alliance investigated the candidate applications, interviewed each individual, and then met separately to compile ratings.

The Illinois State Bar Association found only 24 applicants (9.1 percent) "not qualified" for the bench. The ISBA rated 19 candidates (7.2 percent) "highly qualified," and all others "qualified."

Among those receiving the highest ratings from the ISBA are Assembly member Patrice M. Ball-Reed, past president of the Black Women Lawyers Association; Karen J. Dimond and Susan C. Salita, past presidents of the Women's Bar Association, and Michael B. Hyman, a past president of the Chicago Bar Association.

Other members of the Alliance are the Asian American Bar, Black Women Lawyers, Chicago Council of Lawyers, Cook County Bar, Decalogue Society, Hellenic Bar, Lesbian and Gay Bar, Puerto Rican Bar and Women's Bar.

The Alliance now is in the process of evaluating 66 Cook County judges and five appellate justices who are candidates for retention in the November election.

The retention judges have formed a committee chaired by Presiding Judge Edmund Ponce de Leon of the 4th Municipal District and Presiding Judge Shelley Sutker-Dermer of the 2nd Municipal District.