Meet the Honorable Jerry Friedman
Jerry and his family moved to Norfolk from New Jersey when he was nine years old. After graduating from Granby High School, Jerry Friedman went to Old Dominion University to pursue a degree in accounting. After the courses in cost and intermediate accounting, he knew he didn’t want to be an accountant and switched to finance. While at Old Dominion, Jerry sang in the concert choir for four years, served on the judicial council, and was president of his fraternity.
Having a friend who attended Wake Forest University and being fan of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball, Jerry pursued his law degree at Wake Forest University. He liked the small size of the classes and the individual attention from the professors. He entered private practice with Pender & Coward in Virginia Beach. In 1985, he joined the bench in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court in Virginia Beach. In 1991, he joined the bench of the Virginia Beach District Court where he served as chief judge for several years.
In 1997, he was nominated by President Bill Clinton for the seat vacated by Robert G. Doumar on the U. S. District Court for Eastern Virginia. The process to become a federal judge is long. There were thirteen candidates nominated by U. S. Senators for the seat vacated by Robert Doumar. After going through an extreme vetting process, Jerry was invited to meet with Senator John Warner. He thought it would be a short meeting so he and his wife, Sandra drove up for the day. He spent about two hours in Senator Warner’s office on a Saturday. Later, Chuck Robb, the other Virginia Senator, wanted to meet with him—a meeting that lasted maybe fifteen minutes. He was confirmed by the United States Senate in November 1997 and served on the U.S. District Court until 2011.
After stepping down from the bench, he joined the McCammon Group as a “neutral” which focuses on mediation and arbitration.
Jerry first joined Rotary when he was a member of the Pender & Coward law firm. The Hampton Roads Club met at the Holiday Inn on Greenwich Road and he could walk to the meetings. When he joined the bench, he resigned from the club. After his retirement in 2011, Bernie Cohen sponsored him in our club which he joined in 2014. He is a Paul Harris Fellow + 1.
Jerry has been active in our community serving as a director of the Virginia Opera, Beth Sholom Home, and Vice President of the ODU Alumni Association. He is an avid reader.
He and Sandra married in 1968. They recently moved to Harbor’s Edge where they are enjoying the views of the Elizabeth River. Jerry commented that he didn’t realize how busy the river is.