"The Robing Room: MD State Judges

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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)

Comments

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What others have said about Hon. Joseph S Michael

Comments

Litigant

Comment #: MD9481
Rating:10.0

Comments:
I had one trial with Judge Micheal, and in that trial Judge Michael found in favor of my opponent.

Overall I thought the Judge did a superb job in creating a record that was clear in how he decided the facts, and also how he applied the law.

Judge Michael started the trial by first making a finding that he had jurisdiction to hear the case, and then he took the time to concisely restate the briefings of each party, which let me as a litigant know that the judge read my briefing, and understood the factual and legal issue presented.

At the end of the trial, in which the Judge decided in favor of my opponent, I was still left with the feeling that my arguments were heard, and fairly consider. The decision was soundly in the judges discretion to make, and to that end, the Town Attorney I argued against dis a good job of convincing Judge Michael his client should prevail.

The courts are very busy, and I appreciate Judge Michael taking the extra time to make the record, and I believe that the small amount of time that Judge Michael spent in making a good record, will save time in the long run. The clear record, and intelligent, well thought legal analysis was greatly appreciated.

I would highly suggest that any party appearing before Judge Michael not discount his intellect on even the most complex legal issues. The man is sharp as a tack, and if you take the time to explain the facts and law to him, and you are right, he will certainly see that.