Hon. Peter H. Kirwan See Rating Details
Judge
Superior Court
Santa Clara County
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Attorney Average Rating:   7.4 - 6 rating(s)
Non-Attorney Average Rating:   5.0 - 4 rating(s)
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Only items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating.


General Rating Criteria

* Temperament (1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Scholarship (1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Industriousness (1=Not at all industrious,10=Highly industrious)
* Ability to Handle Complex Litigation (1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Punctuality (1=Chronically Late,10=Always on Time)
* General Ability to Handle Pre-Trial Matters (1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
* General Ability as a Trial Judge (1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
Flexibility In Scheduling (1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)


Criminal Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation (1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
General Inclination Regarding Bail (1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Plea Discussions (1=Not at all Involved, 10=Very Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Pretrial Stage (1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Trial Stage (1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Sentencing Stage (1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)


Civil Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation (1=Not at all Evenhanded,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Involvement in Settlement Discussions (1=Not at all Involved,10=Very Involved)
General Inclination (1=Pro-defendant, 10=Pro-plaintiff)
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What others have said about Hon. Peter H. Kirwan


Comments


Litigant

Comment #: CA42965
Rating:2.0
Comments:
Judge Kirwan does not analyze even non-complex issues well and issues ruling contrary to well settled law. In a case I litigated he analyzed a statute that was unrelated to the issue at bar even though the California Supreme Court ruled that the stated or issue at bar was completely unambiguous. In another case that is currently being litigated in Judge Kirwan's court he made a similar error disregarding the relevant statute completely.

Other

Comment #: CA40917
Rating:10.0
Comments:
Objective in Judgement. We are being bullied and harassed regularly by a Bully in San Jose and for 574 days ongoing with racial slurs etc. The Bully even put a Les Pendens on our Primary Home for no valid reasons. Hon'ble Judge Kirwan Judged fairly against the Bully and ruled in our favor and Expunged the Lis Pendens. This is a Fair Judge who does not get swayed easily by an opponent trying to trick the Judge. One can expect to get a fair hearing and judgement from this Judge. He is a rare asset in Santa Clara County.

Litigant

Comment #: CA36823
Rating:7.0
Comments:
The Honorable Peter Kirwan It's a pretty good judge. He's not strong enough in my opinion to do what needs to be done when he sees the prosecution or the plaintiffs iie, a bank or corporation, etc. Playing fast and loose or playing with an accurate information not disclosing that which they should etc. and in my opinion you should be slapping them downMac8881@me.comPlaying fast and loose or playing with an accurate information not disclosing that which they should etc. and in my opinion he should be slapping them down (sanctions) etc. But he cuts them slack to a appoint but he doesn't let them get away with murder either. Judge Kirwan is better than most of the judges in Santa Clara County because he cares… Because he has empathy… He read his own paperwork when it's submitted to him he makes up his own mind but he seems too preoccupied with keeping his position rather than standing up 100% for what is constitutionally right and legal.If Judge Kirwan would be his own man 100% I would be giving him 10 instead of seven but he's a politician.

Litigant

Comment #: CA29852
Rating:4.0
Comments:
Judge Kirwan does not read the or understand relevant statutes with the required clarity for being a judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA23592
Rating:4.0
Comments:
Judge Kirwin treats everyone in his courtroom with the utmost respect. He displays outstanding temperament as he allows the parties to make their arguments.

The problem with Judge Kirwin is that he is not a deep thinker, and he is not willing to put in the work necessary to handle sophisticated issues. He admittedly relies on his law clerks, who have little to no experience, to handle complex matters. He is a horrible fit for a busy civil courtroom.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA14297
Rating:5.9
Comments:
He is not a deep thinker and struggles with issues outside his experience. He does not seem to want to put in the work required to understand such issues, and seems to rely on his research attorneys. That makes him a poor fit for the complex litigation department.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA12064
Rating:8.6
Comments:
Great judge. Smart and fair and works hard.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA7774
Rating:10.0
Comments:
EXCELLENT JUDGE