Judge Joining NY Firm Makes
No Bones About It: It's About the Money

By the Staff of New Jersey Law Journal
New York Lawyer
March 29, 2007

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Hedges will end his 21 years on the bench on March 31 when he becomes of counsel to Nixon Peabody in New York, and he's unequivocal about his main reason: "utterly inadequate" pay.

He says he's tired of "seeing law clerks go out and get higher salaries than I have after all my years of experience." Magistrate judges earn $151,984 and have not had a raise since 1991, other than an occasional cost-of-living increase.

Hedges, who will concentrate on complex civil and corporate integrity matters, says he is looking forward to working with lawyers like Cathy Fleming and Harold Ruvoldt Jr., former New Jersey prosecutors who recently moved over from Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge in New York.

Scott O’Connell, who heads Nixon Peabody’s business litigation practice, says Hedges brings with him special know-how. "His command of e-discovery, electronic document retention and public disclosure issues is unique," O’Connell says.

Hedges drafted the local rules that govern e-discovery and is on the advisory board of the Sedona Conference Working Group on Best Practices for Electronic Document Management Retention & Production.

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