Ron Hedges is a nationally recognized former federal judge with extensive experience in e-discovery and in the management of complex litigation. Based in metro New York, he has served as a special master, arbitrator and mediator nationwide. He also consults on management and discovery of electronically stored information (“ESI”).
Judge Hedges was a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey from 1986 to 2007. While a magistrate judge, he was the Compliance Judge for the Court Mediation Program, a member of the Lawyers Advisory Committee, and both a member of, and reporter for, the Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Committee. From 2001 to 2005 he was a member of the Advisory Group of Magistrate Judges.
Ron was an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University School, where he taught mediation skills. He was an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center and remains an adjunct professor at Rutgers School of Law—Newark. He taught courses on electronic discovery and evidence at both these schools. Ron was a Fellow at the Center for Information Technology of Princeton University for 2010-11 and 2011-12. He is also a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas.
Education
- Georgetown University Law Center, 1977, JD
Admissions and Qualifications
- District of Columbia
- New Jersey
- New York
- Texas
Activities and Affiliations
- Member, Environmental Justice Subcommittee of the NYSBA Task Force on Racism, Social Equity, and the Law
- Committee Member, New Jersey State Bar Association, Privacy Law Committee
- Chair, ABA’s JD Court Technology Committee for the 2022-2023 association year
- Member and Subcommittee Co-Chair, New York State Bar Association, Task Force on the Modernization of Criminal Practice
- Member, Working Committee on the on the Africa Regional IPR bench book project, invited to participate by the United States Embassy, the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ), and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL)
- Member, ABA’s TIPS General Committee Board Standing Committee for the 2021-2022 committee year
- Program Vice-Chair, ABA’s TIPS Automobile Litigation Committee for the 2020-21 committee year
- Chair-elect, ABA’s TIPS Automobile Litigation Committee for the 2021-2022 committee year
- Fellow, Fellows of the New York Bar Foundation
- Life Member, American Law Institute
- Chair, ABA’s Judicial Division Committee for the 2020-2021 bar year
- Co-Chair, Pretrial Practice Committee of the ABA Section of Litigation
- Co-Chair, ABA’s Pretrial Practice & Discovery Committee
- Co-leader, Task Force Group 1 of the Federal Magistrate Judges Association’s Diversity and Civic Outreach Committee
- Founders’ Circle, Advisory Board of the Advanced E-Discovery Institute of Georgetown University Law Center
- Member, American Law Institute
- Member, American Law Institute Members Consultative Group on Principles of the Law, Policing
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, American Health Information Management Association
- Member, American Records Management Association
- Member, EDRM Global Advisory Council
- Member, Federal Bar Association
- Member, Historical Society
- Member, IG Task Force, 2016
- Member, Lawline Content Advisory Board for 2021-2022 (Technology & the Law)
- Member, The Sedona Conference Judicial Advisory Board
- Member, The Sedona Conference Working Group on Protective Orders, Confidentiality, and Public Access
- Member, The Sedona Conference Working Group on Best Practices for Electronic Document Retention and Production
Presentations
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Techlash 2023: How to Avoid Regulatory Backlash When Implementing New Technologies,” March 9, 2023
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Fundamentals of the Attorney-Client Privilege and Work Product,” February 17, 2023
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Deploying Drones: Commercial Benefits and Privacy Risks,” February 2, 2023
- New York State Bar Association, “Cybersecurity Concerns for Lawyers: Practical and Ethical Considerations,” January 11, 2023
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Opening the Black Box: The Intersection of Artificial Intelligence With Employment and Privacy Issues,” January 9, 2023
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “NHTSA Weighs in on Motor Vehicle Cybersecurity,” January 4, 2023
- New York State Bar Association, “Bridging the Gap,” December 14-15, 2022
- Federal Bar Association, “Ethics Rules and Steps to Comply When Using Electronic Information,” December 13, 2022
- myLawCLE, “Ethics Rules and Steps to Comply When Using Electronic Information,” December 13, 2022
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Update on the Rapidly Shifting Landscape of ADA Website Compliance Lawsuits: Has the Tide Finally Turned for the Defense?,” December 12, 2022
- New York State Bar Association, “Confidentiality of and Public Access to Judicial Proceedings and Records: What Might Be Protected and What Must Be Disclosed,” December 12, 2022
- Minnesota Judicial Branch, “Civil Discovery in the Digital Age – The “In Re Pork” Case Study,” December 8, 2022
- New York State Bar Association, “Cybersecurity for Lawyers: Is Your Firm Safe from Cyber Attacks?,” December 1, 2022
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Confidentiality of and Public Access to Civil Proceedings and Records: What Might Be Protected and What Must Be Disclosed,” December 1, 2022
- New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE), “The NJSBA Fall Conference: A Special One Day Virtual Event,” November 21, 2022
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Reasonable Cybersecurity Standards 2022: What Might These Be and How Best to Achieve Them,” November 21, 2022
- New York State Bar Association, “Bridging the Gap,” November 16-17, 2022
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Sanctions for Loss of ESI: Rule 37(e) and Other Sources of Authority,” November 4, 2022
- New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE), “Legal Ethics in the Digital Age,” November 3, 2022
- New York State Bar Association, “Bridging the Gap,” October 26, 2022
- Mid-Michigan ARMA, “Virtual Meetings and Ephemeral Messages: Thinking About Preservation, Discovery, and Sanctions for Loss,” October 26, 2022
- ARMA Houston, “October 2022 Virtual Chapter Meeting – AI & Ethics,” October 25, 2022
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “The Ethics of Electronic Information 2022: Competence, Confidentiality, and Other Ethical Conundrums,” October 6, 2022
- New York State Bar Association, “Intro To Artificial Intelligence (AI) Part 2: AI As A Litigation Tool,” September 7, 2022
- ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle Technology EXPO, September 7, 2022
- Strafford, “Mitigating Bias in Corporate AI Systems: Responding to New Regulations on Automated Decision-Making,” August 9, 2022
- Hanzo Luminary Series, “How Recent Regulatory Rulings Are Shaping Compliance,” July 28, 2022
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Autonomous Vehicles: Where We Are Today and Where We Soon May Be,” July 27, 2022
- Dentons Canada IP Podcast Series, “AI, Blockchain and the Metaverse: Examining the risks & liability,” July 21, 2022
- New York State Bar Association, “The New York Shield Act | What Lawyers Need to Know,” July 19, 2022
- JD Supra, “Virtual Meetings & Ephemeral Messages: Preserve, Produce, & Sanctions for Loss,” July 19, 2022
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “The Do’s and Don’ts of Complex Litigation: An Overview of an Action Through Discovery,” June 15, 2022
- National Academy of Continuing Legal Education, “Five Steps to Protect Your Firm from Catastrophic Cyber Attacks,” June 10, 2022
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Dealing with Unsolicited Receipt of Confidential or Privileged Information: How Should a “Receiving” Attorney Respond?,” June 3, 2022
- Colorado Bar Association, “Can Artificial Intelligence Increase Access to Justice?,” May 20, 2022
- New Jersey State Bar Association, “Opening The Black Box: The Intersection of AI and Employment Law,” May 19, 2022
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Deconstructing the DOJ’s Recent Guidance on Web Accessibility and Its Impact on Business and State and Local Government,” May 17, 2022
- American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education (ALI CLE), “Evaluating the Benefits and Risks of New Technologies: Look Before You Leap,” May 11, 2022
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “To Hold or Not to Hold: Should Litigation Hold Notices Be Produced in Discovery?,” May 2, 2022
- New York State Bar Association, “Changes to NY State Court E-Discovery Practice: Cooperation, Proportionality, and More,” April 20, 2022
- Colorado Bar Association, “‘Advanced’ eDiscovery Conference,” April 14, 2022
- The Florida Bar, “5759 Electronic Information in Criminal Proceedings: Part 2- Practical Concerns,” April 13, 2022
- Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) & United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), “The Future of IP and the Courts: Some Observations and Thoughts,” March 31, 2022
- New York State Bar Association, “Intro to Artificial Intelligence (AI) Part 1: AI as Evidence in Litigation,” March 29, 2022
- New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE), “Searching for ESI: How Might It Be Done and What Courts Might Expect,” March 23, 2022
- ARMA International, “An Overview of Privacy and Cybersecurity Laws and How These Might Affect the Legal Industry,” March 22, 2022
- The Florida Bar, “5727 Electronic Information in Criminal Proceedings: Part 1 – The Constitution Meets Electronic Information in Criminal Matters,” March 9, 2022
- American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education (ALI CLE), “The Biometrics Revolution: Practical Uses, Possible Consequences, and Other Legal Considerations,” February 25, 2022
- New York State Bar Association, “Bridging the Gap,” February 16, 2022
- eDiscovery Education Center (EDEC), “Master eDiscovery Course: Eight Phases of PreTrial Discovery,” February 8, 2022
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Government Investigations 2022: Investigations Arising from Data Breach and Privacy Concerns and Parallel Proceedings,” January 26, 2022
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Regulating the Metaverse,” January 14, 2022
- 2021 National Association of Attorneys General Capital Forum, “Ethical Approaches for Attorneys General to Reduce Cyber Risk and Manage Cyber Incidents,” December 8, 2021
- 2021 Minnesota Annual Conference of Judge, “4th and 5th Amendment Issues Arising From Electronic Information,” December 1, 2021
- American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education (ALI CLE), “CERCLA Litigation and Settlement,” October 21, 2021
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “The Ethics of Electronic Information 2021: Competence, Confidentiality, and Other Ethical Conundrums,” October 1, 2021
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “A Roadmap to Compliance with the NYS SHIELD Act and Cybersecurity Regulations,” March 3, 2021
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Deepfakes: Civil and Criminal Laws, Discovery, and Legal Remedies,” February 24, 2021
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Preservation and Discovery of Virtual Meeting Data and Ephemeral Communications,” December 1, 2020
- New York State Bar Association, “Recognizing the Risks of Facial Recognition Technology,” March 18, 2020
- New York State Bar Association, “How Attorneys and Judges are Addressing New Technologies – Part II,” March 18, 2020
- Clear Law Institute, Social Media: Reconciling Hate Speech with Privacy and the First Amendment, January 23, 2020
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Micro-Mobility: Navigating the Legal Issues,” January 9, 2020
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), ““Facing” Facial Recognition Technology: What Might Be the Risks?,” November 18, 2019
- The Master’s Conference, “Judges Panel – Tackling the Hottest Issues in E-Discovery,” October 28, 2019
- The Sedona Conference Working Group, “Electronic Document Retention and Production 2019 Annual Meeting,” October 24-25, 2019
- ADAS & AV Legal Issues & Liabilities Conference USA 2019, October 23, 2019
- ARMA Nebraska, “Artificial Intelligence: What it can do for you, how you might manage it, and what it might do to you,” October 16, 2019
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “The Ethics of Electronic Information 2019,” October 11, 2019
- PREX, “Judicial Roundtable: Why the Courts are Not the Answer,” September 19, 2019
- Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS), “ESI in Criminal Investigations and Proceedings: An Overview,” August 28, 2019
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Dealing with Social Media: What are the Ethical Guideposts?,” August 12, 2019
- New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE), “Practical Guidelines for Dealing with New Technology,” July 18, 2019
- American Bar Association (ABA), “Electronic Information in Criminal Investigations & Proceedings,” July 8, 2019
- American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education (ALI CLE), “GDPR, CCPA, and the Courts: Keys to Data Privacy Compliance for U.S. Businesses,” June 18, 2019
- Lawline, “The Ethics of e-Discovery: What “Competence” Means (Update), May 16, 2019
- Lawline, “Social Media Ethics for Attorneys (Update),” May 16, 2019
- EDRM at Duke Law School, “A Practical Guide to Information Governance,” May 1, 2019
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Electronic Information in Criminal Investigations and Proceedings: Part 1,” April 9, 2019
- New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE), Attorneys, Cybersecurity and Technology: Perfect Together, March 22, 2019
- New York State Bar Association, “Trusts & Estates in the Digital Age: New Technologies Creating Assets and Liabilities,” March 14, 2019
- New York State Bar Association, “Healthcare Privacy, the Electronic Health Record, and Technological Developments,” March 14, 2019
- New York State Bar Association, “The Intersection of e-Discovery and Foreign Parties and Law,” March 14, 2019
- New York State Bar Association, “Social Media, Hate Speech, Privacy, and the First Amendment,” March 14, 2019
- New York State Bar Association, “Electronic Information in Criminal Investigations and Proceedings,” March 13, 2019
- New York State Bar Association, “Legal Ethics in the Digital Age,” March 13, 2019
- Techno Security & Digital Forensics Conference, Digital Mountain Moderates the IoT & Security Legal Panel – Tackling a Data Breach, March 11, 2019
- ARMA Metro NYC, “2019 Annual Conference,” March 5, 2019
- New Jersey State Bar Association, “Out With The Old: Avoiding Sanctions For The Destruction Of Records,” February 28, 2019
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “New Jersey State Bar Association, “Out With The Old: Avoiding Sanctions For The Destruction Of Records,” February 28, 2019
- Lawline, “European Regulations, US Business: Practical Impacts of the GDPR,” January 15, 2019
- Lawline, “The Wired Workforce: Legal Issues With Social Media on the Job,” January 15, 2019
- Lawline, “Beyond the Trash Bin: Proper Disposal of Electronic Data,” January 15, 2019
- Lawline, “Digital Assets: New Technology in Trusts & Estates Practice,” January 15, 2019
- New York City Bar Association, “New Jersey Law Practice Management & Technology,” November 28, 2018
- New York State Bar Association, “The Electronic Employee – Challenges Posed By Social Media,” November 2, 2018
- New York State Bar Association, “How To Deal With New Technology,” November 2, 2018
- New York State Bar Association, “Legal Ethics in the Digital Age – Fall 2018,” November 1, 2018
- New York State Bar Association, “The GDPR Comes To America,” November 1, 2018
- New York State Bar Association, “Imagining the Internet of Things (IOT),” October 30, 2018
- New York State Bar Association, “Out With the Old: How To Properly Dispose of Electronic Data,: October 30, 2018
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “The Ethics of Electronic Information 2018,” October 19, 2018
- Practising Law Institute (PLI), “Beyond the California Consumer Privacy Act:”Competing” Privacy Rules and Whether Any Might Become a National Standard,” September 24, 2018
- American Health Information Management Association, “Privacy, Cybersecurity and Information Governance Institute,” September 22-23, 2018
- New York State Bar Association, “New Technologies: What Lawyers Need to Know,” September 20, 2018
- New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, “E-Discovery in 2018: An Essential Guide to Gathering and Using Electronically Stored Information,” September 13, 2018
- Colorado Bar Association, “Information Security and Document Management,” July 25, 2018
- TechLaw Innovation Forum, “Telemedicine: Maintaining the Health of Patients and Their Data,” June 27, 2018
- Wisconsin Health Information Management Association, 83rd WHIMA Annual Conference, May 9-11, 2018
- New York State Bar Association, “Autonomous & Connected Vehicles: Evidentiary Issues Around the Corner,” March 14, 2018
- New York State Bar Association, “Introduction to Discovery and Use of Electronic Information,” March 14, 2018
- New York State Bar Association, “Legal Ethics in the Digital Age,” March 13, 2018
- New York State Bar Association, “The GDPR and How it Might Affect the Practice of Law in New York,” March 13, 2018
- Rutgers State University of New Jersey, Ethics & Self-driving/Autonomous Vehicles, March 7, 2018
- New Jersey Judicial College, November 21, 2016 sessions:
- ESI and Ethics: What Should a Judge Expect from an Attorney
- ESI and Discovery: Back to Basics
- E-Discovery and Complex Litigation: How to Manage
- American Health Information Management Association, Annual Convention and Conference, October 17-19, 2016:
- What Lies Ahead: Trends for Health Care Providers in Litigation, Regulation, and Information Governance
- The Many Faces of Electronic Information and why Differences Matter
- The ‘Other” Regulators: Who Investigates Healthcare Providers Other than the Office for Civil Rights?
Memberships
- New York City Bar Association’s Diversity in the Judiciary Subcommittee.