New Jersey Lawyer
New ATLA Leader Charts the CourseRocco Cammarere That's the word from those who know Jorden N. Pedersen Jr. -- Nick to his friends -- the man who soon will take over the reins of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America-New Jersey. ATLA, one of the most politically active and free-spending lobbying organzations in Trenton, has had many presidents, but few, if any, the likes of Pedersen. Yes, he's a personal injury lawyer, but you won't find him in state court pressing auto accident cases like most former ATLA leaders. He makes his living around the docks and waterfront area of New Jersey, practicing maritime law and representing longshoremen and merchant seamen. Since maritime law is governed by Congress, most of his cases are in federal court. Is that somewhat out of sync with ATLA's concerted attack for nearly three decades on the state's auto insurance laws? Associates say whether Pedersen is focusing on auto insurance laws or maritime statutes makes no difference because he is one tough, smart cookie who can work a room -- whether it's a legislative chamber or a ranking state official's inner office. "His word is his bond. You can go to the bank with his word," said Robert T. Corcoran, a Hackensack divorce lawyer who's known Pedersen for a decade. "He's a very friendly, outgoing, gregarious guy. Very charismatic." And apparently astute. Kind of like the attorney who proclaims he is just an old country lawyer. Pedersen may tell you he's not overly smooth, maybe even a bit rough around the edges, but such talk may conceal a guy who knows how to schmooze with politicians, cut a deal or two, and not easily take no for an answer -- all traits that are a prerequisite for life in the fast lanes of the Statehouse. "I'm not as articulate as some other presidents," Pedersen, 49, said in an interview with New Jersey Lawyer. "I grew up with dirt under my fingernails. I paid my way through law school unloading trucks." Trucks and grime were a long time ago. Today, the successful lawyer also is active in politics, having served two terms as a municipal councilman in Bergen County's Harrington Park, where those who know him say he clearly knows his way around the block. Pedersen is a partner in Baker, Pedersen & Robbins in Hoboken, and his office is just yards from the Hudson River and minutes from the Bayonne waterfront. That's about a 90-minute drive to the Statehouse, where he'll likely be spending much time after he's installed ATLA president in June. This week Pedersen can be found in Atlantic City at ATLA's annual Boardwalk Seminar, where next year's slate of officers will be elected. Within legal circles he's known as a no-nonsense litigator who at times will push the envelope to the edge. Colleagues say he never delves into a case without a clear direction of where he wants to take the judge and jury. "Nick is probably one of the finest plaintiff trial lawyers in the maritime field in the state of New Jersey," said John Ingram, a New York attorney who has opposed Pedersen in the courtroom. "He is very precise in the preparation of his file," said Gerald H. Baker, one of his partners. "When he sets his mind out on an issue, he goes after it." Pedersen now is representing the family of Grady Gene Coltrain, a deckhand who died when the Beth Dee Bob clamming boat sank Jan. 14 off Point Pleasant. He's been attending U.S. Coast Guard hearings in Philadelphia to determine the cause of the sinking. Pedersen's determination will be tested during the coming year as ATLA readies what could be one of its most-intense battles in years. Realistically, gone are the days -- at least for awhile -- when ATLA could proclaim it has a chance to do away with the no-fault insurance system. Just a year ago, lawmakers soundly rejected that push from the trial lawyers and the New Jersey State Bar Association. What ATLA now faces is how to show that the sweeping auto insurance changes enacted a year ago -- changes, for example, that make it somewhat harder to sue for pain and suffering -- may need to be rolled back based on the impact the law may be having on injured motorists. Similarly, some of the regulations to implement the law may be subject to intensified ATLA attack. It shapes up as a tough-sell year for Pedersen and other ATLA officials, especially since all 80 Assembly seats are up for election and lawmakers in an election year are not likely to undermine a law that promises to give most motorists a 15 percent cut in their auto insurance rates. Pedersen called the promised 15 percent insurance rate reduction misleading and illusory. Most opponents contend the rate reduction comes only with a simultaneous cut in existing benefits and protections. "It's crazy. Absolutely crazy," Pedersen said of the automobile insurance regulations, including one that establishes protocols medical professionals must follow when treating injured motorists. ATLA has filed suit challenging the regulations. Similar suits by health care providers also are pending, with the State Bar Association joining as amicus curiae. Arguments will be heard May 12 in the Appellate Division. "They're really hurting the driving public," Pedersen said. As Pedersen prepares for his year in leadership and the accompanying spotlight, he discussed some of his goals. He said ATLA must improve communication with its 2,400 members. He also wants to expand ATLA's appeal to lawyers in other fields, such as those practicing business law, and to increase the number of matrimonial attorneys who are ATLA members. The association is investigating whether members want to change the content of its newsletter. Long-range One of goals is to develop a long-range plan to guide ATLA into the new millennium. "I'd like to make a big contribution to the association," he said. "ATLA by far does more for its members and the public than any other trial organization. It's an organization that services its members through education activities, public service and with a voice in Trenton." In the nearly quarter-century he's been involved with ATLA, Pedersen said he's witnessed its presence in Trenton become more intense and indispensable. In the 1997 general election, ATLA-NJ Legal PAC spent $340,000 -- second only to the powerful New Jersey Education Association -- in campaign contributions to get key legislators in office. "All we want is access to our state representatives," he said, "to show them why certain bills should not be passed." Another goal for his one-year term is getting ATLA leaders to address community groups to educate them about the law and "to improve the image lawyers have with the public." Noted Pedersen, "We need to tell people that lawyers are there to protect their legal rights and they're not there to take their money away. ... When I started practicing, the image was better than it is today." A graduate of Rutgers University in New Brunswick and Valparaiso University School of Law in Indiana, Pedersen doesn't shy away from the public spotlight. He served two terms as a councilman in Harrington Park and was the police commissioner. He gave up his council seat to take the ATLA presidency. "There's an excellent blend of assertiveness, concern and appreciation for the rights of others in terms of what he was doing on the council," said Harrington Park Mayor Paul A. Hoelscher. He described Pedersen's style as hands-on --a person involved with everything. The man about to become president of one of the most-visible bar groups in the state was asked to describe his management style. "I'm not dictatorial by any sense of the imagination, but I like to run things -- keep on top of things to know what everybody is doing," he said. "I let people do their thing as long as it advances the organization and I'm informed." National scene Pedersen also is vice chairman of the election committee of the national Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Being involved in selecting the national organization's leadership gives Pedersen a voice in what direction ATLA takes in Congress and across the country. In recent years in Washington, ATLA has been effective in beating back major changes to tort laws, including broad efforts to limit lawsuits. Legislation that passed Congress was vetoed by the president. If he's not deposing one of the Queen Elizabeth II's officers or attending to some other maritime matter, there's a good chance the self-described "gym rat" can be found lifting weights or scuba diving. When his teen-aged daughter was younger, Pedersen was coach for her basketball team. He came a long way from his youth in Rochelle Park and Maywood, where he helped his father deliver meat products along a route that took him to the Hudson County waterfront. As soon as he got his license, he drove the truck. And if it wasn't for his father's encouragement, Pedersen might still be delivering cold cuts. "No, no, you should continue your education," he remembers his father telling him after graduating from Rutgers. "He didn't want me to be a bologna peddler. He wanted me to do something else in life." Actually, the route his father started in the early 1950s still exists today. "My brother has continued the tradition," Pedersen said. And what about ATLA's new point man? "I felt my calling as a lawyer was stronger." |
 |