Hon. Leonie M. Brinkema See Rating Details
District Judge See Comments
E.D.Va.  
Average Rating:6.2 - 10 rating(s)
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Ratings
*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. Leonie M. Brinkema


Comments


Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 35332
Rating:2.1
Comments:
Judge Brinkema cares far more about her docket than giving anyone a fair trial. It doesn’t even seem to have occurred to her that some defendants could be innocent. She is rude, arrogant, and closed-minded. An awful judge.

Send e-mail to this poster 9/13/2023 8:52:23 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 32769
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Speed at huge quality expense. Imperious. Seems a good person but incredibly tactless and inappropriate comments in court. Re-traumatized my client and while everyone else saw it, she didn't.

Send e-mail to this poster 8/15/2019 6:49:29 PM

Prosecutor

Comment #: 21874
Rating:1.0
Comments:
I SAT IN ON THE CORNELIUS GRANT WILLIAMS CASE, JUDGE BRINKEMA HAD ALREADY MADE HER DECISION TO PUT THIS YOUNGMAN AWAY FOR LIFE AFTER THE JURY TRAIL. AS A ATTORNEY IM STILL NOT UNDERSTANDING HER DECISION. I DONT CARE TO HAVE HER AS MY JUDGEIN ANY CASE.

Send e-mail to this poster 6/27/2014 2:14:16 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 18285
Rating:10.0
Comments:
I have had three civil matters before Judge Brinkema. She is prepared, intelligent and decides matters quickly. She is one of my favorite jusdges to appear before. If only every judge managed their docket the same way!

Send e-mail to this poster 7/17/2012 9:29:33 AM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 13285
Rating:3.3
Comments:
Attended two hearings with her. She was simply not prepared. Had not read the filings - what is the point in providing courtesy binders if they would not read the material. In one ruling she completely erred and that too without giving any chance to the attorneys to speak.

Send e-mail to this poster 12/12/2011 12:37:42 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 9469
Rating:9.8
Comments:
In some 30 years of trying civil, but mainly criminal cases, both as a prosecutor and defense counsel, I found Judge Brinkema to be the single best trial judge before whom I've ever appeared. In a fairly recent, and high-profile case -- which was retried following an appellate reversal -- Judge Brinkema, newly assigned to the case, gave both sides a completely fair shake. She made tough calls right down the middle. It was a genuine pleasure to appear before her, and I hope to get the chance to do so again.

Send e-mail to this poster 11/17/2009 10:43:34 AM

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: 9074
Rating:8.3
Comments:
Judge Brinkema is a very smart judge, and is a pleasure to try a case before. She keeps reasonably good control of her courtroom, and is usually decisive in making rulings. She has a reputation for being somewhat biased in favor of plaintiffs in civil actions, but I've seen very little evidence of that (although I usually represent defendants). There are no more "Judge Brinkema" stories today than there were "Judge Bryan" stories in this district a decade or more ago.

Send e-mail to this poster 8/19/2009 12:05:46 PM

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 5838
Rating:4.7
Comments:
She is very smart, but biased and makes up her mind very early in the case no matter what the facts or law may show.

Everyone I know seems to have a "Judge Brinkema story" which is not a good thing.

She is a terrible judge.

Send e-mail to this poster 3/1/2008 9:19:40 PM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 5132
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
One of the worst judges in the country. It would help if she actually thought about decisions prior to just shooting from the hip.

Send e-mail to this poster 10/31/2007 8:19:39 AM

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 2699
Rating:10.0
Comments:
My year long clerkship with Judge Brinkema was the best experience of my legal career! Judge Brinkema has a reputation for being an extremely fair and impartial judge. She really gets her clerks involved in every aspect of her court and values hard work and excellent writing skills. She also stays involved with her former clerks as a mentor and career counselor even after they leave. I give her the highest of marks!

Send e-mail to this poster 10/13/2006 9:08:10 AM