Reinaldo Ojeda
Reinaldo Ojeda
District: County Judge
Comments
Article
By JASON GEARY
THE LEDGER
Judge Reinaldo J. Ojeda made an impressive first appearance on The Ledger's biennial survey of local lawyers.
Ojeda, appointed to the bench in August 2008 by Gov. Charlie Crist, was ranked second among county judges.
His overall rating was 7.64 out of 10. He barely squeaked by fellow county jurist J. Kevin Abdoney, who was ranked third out of 10 county judges with an overall rating of 7.63.
Ojeda received his highest individual ranking, an 8.02, for professional conduct. His lowest was 7.43 for written decisions.
One lawyer said Ojeda has been a 'fine young judge.' Another said he was 'ethical, authoritative and fair.'
'Has proven to be an outstanding addition to the bench,' a lawyer wrote. 'Thoughtful, hardworking, dedicated รณ a rising star among our judges.'
Several wrote Ojeda needs more experience, saying he is 'promising' but 'still learning.' 'Still new and unsure of himself,' wrote one person. 'Will be a great judge one day.'
'New, very green in civil law,' another wrote. 'Time will tell.'
Ojeda agreed he is less familiar with civil law.
'I think it's a fair criticism,' he said. 'My background experience is in criminal law... I will have to continue to work hard to get up to speed on the civil aspect of the law.'
Ojeda earned his law degree in 2001 from Stetson University College of Law.
His first job out of law school was working at the State Attorney's Office in Bartow until being appointed to the county bench.
He is up for election this year.
Ojeda, 38, and his wife, Susan, have a son, Jonathan, and daughter, Isabel. They live in Lakeland.
| 2010 Overall | Legal Ability | Communication Ability | Written Decisions | Professional Conduct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.64 | 7.54 | 7.57 | 7.43 | 8.02 |
Comments
Getting the hang of it.
Has proven to be an outstanding addition to the bench. Thoughtful, hard working, dedicated - a rising star among our judges.
Fine young judge.
Need to remember that is now a judge, does not work for Jerry Hill anymore. He still thinks he is a prosecutor.
Ethical, authoritative, fair.
Still new and unsure of himself. Will be a great judge one day.
Too early to tell.
Still learning.
Thoughtful and fair.
Top notch judge.
Excellent new judge. Extremely fair and knowledgeable. Very pleasant on the bench. Very hard working judge.
A wonderful addition to the bench. He needs to get more involved in bench bar activities.
Works very hard and gets it right.
Promising but too many unknowns still.
Lack of experience undermines confidence in the legal system. He may develop into a good judge in time. Solid character. Clearly on bench via politics rather than experience.
Often difficult to understand (fairly heavy accent). Rushes through court.
So far doing well.
New, very green in civil law. Time will tell.
Has proven to be an outstanding addition to the bench. Thoughtful, hard working, dedicated - a rising star among our judges.
Fine young judge.
Need to remember that is now a judge, does not work for Jerry Hill anymore. He still thinks he is a prosecutor.
Ethical, authoritative, fair.
Still new and unsure of himself. Will be a great judge one day.
Too early to tell.
Still learning.
Thoughtful and fair.
Top notch judge.
Excellent new judge. Extremely fair and knowledgeable. Very pleasant on the bench. Very hard working judge.
A wonderful addition to the bench. He needs to get more involved in bench bar activities.
Works very hard and gets it right.
Promising but too many unknowns still.
Lack of experience undermines confidence in the legal system. He may develop into a good judge in time. Solid character. Clearly on bench via politics rather than experience.
Often difficult to understand (fairly heavy accent). Rushes through court.
So far doing well.
New, very green in civil law. Time will tell.
Article
By JASON GEARY
THE LEDGER
Judge Reinaldo J. Ojeda made an impressive first appearance on The Ledger's biennial survey of local lawyers.
Ojeda, appointed to the bench in August 2008 by Gov. Charlie Crist, was ranked second among county judges.
His overall rating was 7.64 out of 10. He barely squeaked by fellow county jurist J. Kevin Abdoney, who was ranked third out of 10 county judges with an overall rating of 7.63.
Ojeda received his highest individual ranking, an 8.02, for professional conduct. His lowest was 7.43 for written decisions.
One lawyer said Ojeda has been a 'fine young judge.' Another said he was 'ethical, authoritative and fair.'
'Has proven to be an outstanding addition to the bench,' a lawyer wrote. 'Thoughtful, hardworking, dedicated รณ a rising star among our judges.'
Several wrote Ojeda needs more experience, saying he is 'promising' but 'still learning.' 'Still new and unsure of himself,' wrote one person. 'Will be a great judge one day.'
'New, very green in civil law,' another wrote. 'Time will tell.'
Ojeda agreed he is less familiar with civil law.
'I think it's a fair criticism,' he said. 'My background experience is in criminal law... I will have to continue to work hard to get up to speed on the civil aspect of the law.'
Ojeda earned his law degree in 2001 from Stetson University College of Law.
His first job out of law school was working at the State Attorney's Office in Bartow until being appointed to the county bench.
He is up for election this year.
Ojeda, 38, and his wife, Susan, have a son, Jonathan, and daughter, Isabel. They live in Lakeland.