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• Author: Mark Thompson/Elizabeth Smith
• Pages: 903-908

Retired Judges

Retired Judges Baird893

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BAINES, Robert Alan

Temperament/Demeanor

Interviewees said Judge Baines’ courtroom temperament

is exemplary. They described it as “extraordinary,” “excel-

lent,” “evenhanded and professional,” “businesslike and

pleasant” and “very professional.”

Intelligence/Knowledge

Most of the interviewees said Judge Baines’ legal knowledge

is “excellent.” The remaining litigators said, “It’s above average.”

On Motions

When asked to described Judge Baines’ courtroom man-

agement style, two interviewees said, “It’s excellent.” Others

said Judge Baines’ style is “highly efficient,” “It’s relaxed”

and “It’s flexible and efficient.” Every interviewee said this

jurist is polite to all who appear in his courtroom. In fact, two

of them said, “He’s extremely polite.” Litigators said Judge

Baines usually takes the bench on time. One of them even

opined, “He’s always on time.”

On Trial

All of the attorneys interviewed said they appreciate the

way Judge Baines listens closely to their arguments and

keeps an open mind. This jurist’s courtroom atmosphere

was described as “very comfortable,” “very professional”

and “professional and comfortable.” Most interviewees said

Judge Baines moves cases at an “average” pace through his

courtroom. The remaining interviewees said he moves mat-

ters at an “appropriate” pace.

Continuances

Some interviewees said you have an “average” chance of

getting Judge Baines to grant a continuance based upon

good cause. Other interviewees said Judge Baines is even

“more likely” to grant one than his peers. One of these

interviewees added, “because he’s very reasonable.” Another

opined, “If Judge Baines is fully convinced you need a con-

tinuance, he’ll grant it.”

Settlement

Two lawyers said Judge Baines is “proactive” when help-

ing to settle cases. Another attorney opined, “He’ll help if

asked.” This jurist’s skills were described as “good,” “strong”

and “pretty good.”

Proclivities

The majority of the attorneys said Judge Baines is “very

fair.” One of them added, “I’ve never been disappointed.” The

remaining lawyers said, “He’s fair.”

Summary

Judge Baines received extremely high marks for his legal

knowledge and courtroom demeanor. Attorneys also praised

his settlement skills, courtroom management style and

politeness to all who appear in front of him. (01F)

BAIRD, Lourdes Gillespie

Temperament/Demeanor

A female interviewee describing Judge Baird’s demeanor

said she is “very practical,” “genuine,” and “extremely ele-

gant.” A male attorney said Judge Baird’s demeanor is “excel-

lent,” and added, “She is extremely feminine, which is some-

thing that one doesn’t often notice in female judges. I don’t say

that in a sexist way but I think that law is an anti-feminizing

force and Judge Baird never lost her femininity as a result of

being a judge and I think that’s terrific.” Other interviewees

described her demeanor as “excellent” and “terrific.”

Intelligence/Knowledge

An attorney who tried a major copyright infringement case

before Judge Baird said she did a terrific job and was “very

prepared. It really pays to know your case before you show

up in her courtroom because she will know your case and

she’ll be very prepared.” An attorney who tried a trademark

case in her court said she “wasn’t real knowledgeable in

our area of law but she was willing to be educated.” A third

interviewee said, “Her knowledge of the law is a good as it

needs to be.” And a fourth added, “My impression of her was

that she did follow the law. She adhered to the law in the

sense that was judicial. All we expect from the judge is to

read carefully the authorities and to determine whether they

apply to the particular case.”

On Motions

One interviewee criticized Judge Baird’s rulings. “She

seemed to decide everything based on her personal emotions

and feelings. Critical rulings seemed to have little to do with

the law. And it wasn’t because she wasn’t knowledgeable. It

was based on how she felt.” No other interviewee seconded

that opinion. A civil rights attorney said, “The only thing I ever

expect is that a judge really reads the points and authorities

rather than trying to be opinion-oriented. The judicial role is

to determine what the law really calls for, not what they want

to the outcome to be. I felt she did that.” Other interviewees

commented on her practice of issuing thorough orders. “She

impressed me as someone who would entertain an argu-

ment, and if you had some novel theory or some issue, she

would look into it. She’ll issue a long, detailed order, either

a motion to dismiss or a motion for summary judgment. And

you’ll know exactly where the judge is coming from, from a

reasoning standpoint,” said one. Another added, “She also

gives sometimes really long tentative rulings and she really

shows how much she knows the case before you even show

up for the oral argument.”

On Trial

The attorney who was displeased with Judge Baird’s rul-

ings said that in trial, “She was pretty good with the jury as

far as communicating with them. But she was very expres-

sive in front of them as far as her feelings about counsel.

She influenced the jury in a very unfair manner. We wished

we had had a video camera because if looks could kill, hers

would—and did.” The attorney added that his client won the

verdict but Judge Baird “was livid, and set the jury verdict all

aside.” Other interviewees who have tried cases before Judge

Baird were pleased with her performance. One civil rights

lawyer said, “Judge Baird is excellent in trial and, when

appropriate, has a very intriguing sense of humor.” Another

civil rights attorney added, “We felt that she appreciates an

attorney who is very well prepared and she appreciates being

well-briefed. We found that she had read papers and she

knew what counsel had stated in their papers, so every hear-

ing was easy because she was well prepared, the parties were

well prepared. So both the parties and court were able to

focus on the legal issues.” An attorney who had a two-month

trial in her court said, “My impression was that she was a

stickler for the rules. She ran a very efficient courtroom and

expected counsel to be prepared.”

Continuances

“Judge Baird is excellent with respect to giving continu-

ances when they’re warranted,” said one interviewee. None

of the other interviewees had any complaints about Judge

Baird’s disposition toward requests for continuance.

Settlement

One interviewee said Judge Baird is “excellent with respect

to trying to settle cases when parties wish to do that.” Another

said, “I haven’t had a case where she has participated” in

settlement negotiations. A third interviewee added, “Once we

won an injunction, the defendant wanted to settle anyway so

it didn’t get that far to where the court was pushing one way

or the other.” The interviewee who was most critical of Judge

Baird said that an attempt at settling before trial is “where the

problem arose. Right before the trial, we allowed her to help

settle the case and she began to have ex parte communica-

tions with both sides and then at the trial, from the minute it

started, she was angry with us and our client. And I think the

reason was that we didn’t accept her settlement recommenda-

tion and took it to trial. She was recommending a very small

sum. The verdict we got was far in excess of that.”

Proclivities

Judge Baird is a former U.S. attorney and interviewees

said she therefore cannot help but be at least a bit “prose-

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