The Robing Room

Hon. Brian M. Cogan	See Rating Details
District Judge	See Comments
E.D.N.Y.
Average Rating:6.3 - 36 rating(s)	Please send me alerts on this judge E-mail Address:

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*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=Chronic`y Late,10=Always on Time)
*Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation:	(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
*Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation:	(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Flexibility In Scheduling	(1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)
General Inclination Regarding Bail	(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases, Pre-Trial:	(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Civil Settlement Discussions:	(1=Least Involved,10=Most Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases, Trial:	(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases, Sentencing:	(1=Most Lenient,10=Most Harsh)
Typical Discount Off Guidelines for Cooperators:	(1=10%,10=100%)
Items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating

Comments

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What others have said about Hon. Brian M. Cogan

Comments

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 35139
Rating:1.0

Comments:
cannot interpret the law. if you are not big business or a party of power YOU ALREADY LOST. He should go judge a dog show, more his intellect

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 34481
Rating:4.5

Comments:
Seems result oriented, knows who's going to win before the first motion. Controls the proceedings to make sure the result is what he wanted. He was polite to the lawyers but impolite and a bit off point when it came to the litigants and their status. Could tell who was going to win the minute we began the proceeding.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: 25359
Rating:8.7

Comments:
Very thorough. Not afraid to take on cases of first impression on motion for summary judgment.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 25026
Rating:2.5

Comments:
Biased toward large firms and parties. Irrational, high-handed decisions on discovery and a trigger finger on sanctions such as I've never seen in a federal judge.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 24646
Rating:9.2

Comments:
I found Judge Cogan to be evenhanded, scholarly and balanced -- and when he doesn't know something, he is not afraid to stop the proceedings and look it up; he may also change a ruling if he thinks he got it wrong. All together -- an honest broker!

Litigant

Comment #: 24220
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This caricature can't tell the difference between an affidavit and a lien.

Attempting to silence dissent by referring case to US Attorney Robert Capers for prosecution alleging a lien was filed when it is clearly an affidavit outlining one single, solitary violation of Federal law by Cogan.
16-mc-2014.

Prosecutor

Comment #: 24194
Rating:3.2

Comments:
Seems to quote one standard for big guys but ignores that standard for little guys.

Shameful.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 24182
Rating:9.3

Comments:
Very smart and fair. Knows the rules and facts of the case. Gives each side their day in court without letting personal opinion interfere.

Litigant

Comment #: 24107
Rating:1.0

Comments:
abysmal demeanor.
lacks willingness to follow basic requirements of job.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 24008
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Had sentencing before him in drug case of vet with PTSD. Court gave him time served and supervised release, which was not surprising under the circumstances. But was impressed by Cogan's understanding of the client's circumstances and his genuine willingness to remain involved in the case (although client lives out of state), to step in if the client needed additional assistance going forward.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 23986
Rating:8.0

Comments:
Fair and smart. Doesn't tread on substantial rights of the parties. Knows the law stone cold (and don't you want that in a federal judge). Runs a real tight ship. Comes off and projects as smarter than the litigants. Probably is, but, well, we'll leave it at that.

Litigant

Comment #: 23613
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Conservative pro government; pro defense. Doesn't bong on the bench.

Litigant

Comment #: 23416
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Terrible Judge.
Decides cases based on wealth.
The wealthiest and more powerful litigant always prevails.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 23219
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
He wrongfully file charges against my attorney and force me to represent myself in a very intense civil rights case that's over 18 years old against the city of New York

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 23173
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Heubner, say no more.

Best judge ever.

Litigant

Comment #: 22998
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Agree with petty tyrant. Cogan would chew arm off rather than follow due process.
Scared of litigants whio challenge him. Bully.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: 22984
Rating:3.3

Comments:
My experience with Judge Cogan was not very good. He took a very condescending tone towards hard working, conscientious litigators and generally demonstrated that he does not have the proper temperament to be a federal judge. He is a public servant, and should act like one.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 22924
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
He lacks the ability to reason and he renders irrational and absurd decisions. He seems to decide cases right from the start based on who is suing whom without any thought, analysis or factual development, and then he tries to support his decisions with statues and case law he realty does not understand. Should have stayed in private practice.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 22711
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Judge Cogan is a petty tyrant who enjoys nothing more than tormenting attorneys.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 22704
Rating:3.9

Comments:
Judge Cogan is irrational and ill tempered. He gets off by browbeating attorneys. He also wants his threats to spur settlement, and he backs parties into posiitons on issues that are not germane to the case. He should go work for the Federalist Society and write briefs on behalf of neo-conservative causes.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 21709
Rating:2.0

Comments:
Terrible judge who was so biased at the initial conference that he told a party NOT to settle a case after the parties informed him they were close to settling. Openly favors one side from the start. Has neither the tact nor the intelligence to be a USDJ. Totally feeds into the notions of republican appointed judges being openly contemptuous of plaintiffs. Feigns "getting" the issues while undermining a case in font of opposing counsel. Thinks he is the smartest guy in the room and tries to bully attorneys into think the same. This emperor has no clothes.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 21106
Rating:6.3

Comments:
I agree with the other poster about sanctions and OSC. This judge is like a young kid with a tantrum problem. Not sure what his issues are, but he seems to be a smart judge.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 18699
Rating:7.0

Comments:
If he would just tone it down a bit I might actually enjoy appearing before him. He pushes cases way too quickly and for no good reason. Barks and issues his own OSC's at the drop of a dime. Acts like a 2 year old. I suspect that he is a bit insecure and thus he overcompensates. Not the brightest judge in the world.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 13124
Rating:1.0

Comments:
He is a petty tyrant who threatens sanctions at the drop of a hat, and is evenhandedly contemptuous of both plaintiff's counsel and defendant's counsel. He will not give you a break.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 12912
Rating:10.0

Comments:
He Should be in the Supreme Court. Hands down he is the best Judge I have appeared before. His knowledge of the law, ability to breakdown complex issues instantly and handle all calibres of attorneys. Makes one want to go back to law school for the fear we missed a valuable class and he took it. Great Judge, simply a Great Judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 9953
Rating:9.0

Comments:
Intelligent judge with excellent temperature, very considerate of counsel's time, but too inflexible on scheduling.

Other

Comment #: 9197
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Amazingly smart and witty. Really "gets" the issues.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 8943
Rating:9.3

Comments:
What a refreshing Judge - he will not force litigants to waste their clients' time and money going to settlement conference after settlement conference if they are not interested in settling. A fair judge who practiced for over 20 years so he understands what civil litigators have to deal with. I wish all federal judges were like this. And this opinion comes after he ruled against my client dismissing its claims.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 8778
Rating:9.3

Comments:
Judge Cogan is extremely smart and follows the law. He is a "conservative" in the sense of judicial restraint, but doesn't seem to particularly care if the politically "conservative" position wins out. In other words, he's even-handed and smart, both really important qualities in a good judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 6002
Rating:1.6

Comments:
A hothead without the brains to back it up.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: 5771
Rating:9.7

Comments:
Excellent judge. Painfully fair. One of the most technologically savvy judges.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 3628
Rating:8.8

Comments:
A real surprise so far! Not afraid to go against the set standard and do what is right for civil litigants!

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 3067
Rating:7.2

Comments:
Only one conference in front of him. I was 30 mins late and he was good about it. Seems smart and pretty even handed.

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Ratings

What others have said about Hon. Brian M. Cogan

Comments

Civil Litigation - Private

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Civil Litigation - Private

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Litigant

Prosecutor

Civil Litigation - Private

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Criminal Defense Lawyer

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Civil Litigation - Private

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Litigant

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Civil Litigation - Private

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Criminal Defense Lawyer

Civil Litigation - Private

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Other

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Private

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Civil Litigation - Private