Edwin H. Stern

The Honorable Edwin H. Stern (Ret.) is special counsel in the Alternative Dispute Resolution and Appellate Advocacy practices at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, complementing the firm’s existing group of esteemed retired judges, practicing arbitrators, and mediators who collectively bring their unique perspectives and judicial experiences to bear on complex client matters including bet-the-company litigation.

Leveraging his 30-year career on the bench, including his temporary assignment to the New Jersey Supreme Court and 13 years of experience serving as a Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division (including seven years as its Presiding Judge for Administration), Judge Stern serves as an arbitrator and mediator in Chancery and Civil matters. In addition, he assesses opinions for clients on various issues of concern; advises on such matters as the advisability of taking appeals from trial court and state administrative agency decisions; reviews briefs and papers filed in state and federal courts; and conducts moot courts for attorneys before they argue matters in court. He is on the roster of arbitrators for the American Arbitration Association.

From Law School to the Judiciary

Judge Stern’s legal career started at Columbia Law School, and evolved into an impactful legacy replete with positions in private and public practice, as a First Assistant and Acting Hudson County Prosecutor, held roles in the Administrative Office of the Courts, the New Jersey Attorney General’s office as Deputy Attorney General in the Division of Criminal Justice in charge of Appellate Litigation, a developer of the criminal speedy trial initiative, and Chair of the Supreme Court Practice Committee for 26 years.

In 1981, Judge Stern was appointed to the bench and sworn in as a Superior Court Judge sitting first in Hudson County and then in Essex County.

In 1985, Chief Justice Wilentz assigned Judge Stern to the Appellate Division of Superior Court and he was designated its Presiding Judge for Administration (now called Chief Judge) in 2004. From September 2010 until reaching his mandatory retirement age in June 2011, he temporarily served as a justice on the New Jersey Supreme Court. He then returned to private practice with a focus on mediation and arbitration, as well as appellate advocacy.

Serving as Special Counsel at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden

Judge Stern offers clients and lawyers at Pashman Stein the benefit of his judicial perspective not only of complex litigation matters but also of the administration of the court and the numerous amendments to court rules and policies. In addition to serving as an arbitrator and mediator, he provides counsel on litigation strategy, mock arguments, arbitration, mediation, attorney ethics, and issues of appellate law and criminal litigation.”

As a judge, he wrote more than 450 published opinions, including 42 concurring opinions and ten dissents. His service on multiple committees over more than 30 years equates to a comprehensive understanding of the rules governing criminal practice, the rules of evidence, professionalism in the law, and sentencing guidelines.

On the national stage, Judge Stern remains an active elected member of the American Law Institute; a member of the American Bar Association; and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He is presently a member of the Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, which reviews and makes recommendations regarding complaints filed against judges, and the Chief Justice’s designee on the Criminal Sentencing and Disposition Commission. He also serves on the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Historical Advisory Board and on the Editorial Board of the New Jersey Law Journal. In addition, Judge Stern serves as a special ethics master, hearing disciplinary complaints filed against attorneys, and continues to lecture for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, the New Jersey Judiciary Historian Advisory Board, bar associations, and various law schools on various topics including criminal and appellate practice and the rules and cases governing attorney ethics.

Honors & Recognitions

• Selected for inclusion in the list of Best Lawyers®, Commercial Litigation
• Recipient, Essex County Bar Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018
• Recipient, New Jersey State Bar Foundation’s Medal of Honor Award, 2015
• Recipient, the Honorable Lawrence A. Whipple Memorial Award from the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey, May 2014
• Recipient, New Jersey State Bar Association’s Arthur T. Vanderbilt Award for Judicial Administration, 2011

The Best Lawyers list is issued by Woodward/White, Inc. A description of the selection methodology can be found at https://www.bestlawyers.com/About/MethodologyBasic.aspx.

No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Community & Professional

• Former Member, New Jersey Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct
• Chief Justice’s designee, New Jersey Sentencing and Criminal Disposition Commission
• Member, Editorial Board of the New Jersey Law Journal
• Member, Council of Chief Judges of State Courts of Appeal
• Member, The American Law Institute
• Member, American Bar Association
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation