May 26, 2021
Judson Aaron,
Of Counsel
Jud is recognized by prosecutors, defense attorneys, courts, and clients alike as a skillful litigator, effective negotiator, and convincing trial lawyer. He relentlessly advocates for his clients, yielding successful outcomes in and out of court while also keeping matters from public scrutiny.
Jud has represented clients faced with virtually every type of white-collar investigation, including allegations of financial fraud, public corruption, and fraud on government agencies. His clients include physicians, attorneys, accountants, business owners, elected officials, as well as corporations and nonprofits.
As an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2005, Jud prosecuted and tried an array of federal criminal offenses.
Education
Temple University Law School, J.D.
Philadelphia College of Performing Arts, B.A.
Admissions
- Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Practice Areas & Experience
White Collar & Internal Investigations
Jud’s pre-indictment advocacy has resulted in the government declining to prosecute:
- An attorney who was the target of a bankruptcy fraud investigation
- A business owner who was the target of a military contracting fraud investigation by the Department of Defense
- An FBI agent who was accused of investigative misconduct
- At a hard-fought pretrial hearing, Jud challenged the government’s evidence, resulting in the dismissal of public corruption charges against an elected official.
- As counsel to numerous employees in investigations of the pharmaceutical industry, Jud has shielded his clients from civil exposure and criminal liability.
- Jud was appointed as a special prosecutor to investigate a controversial and high-profile police shooting in Wilmington, Delaware, and also to investigate fraud and public corruption on a Native American reservation in Montana.
Where Jud's clients have been charged and the government recommended jail terms, Jud’s advocacy resulted in probationary sentences for:
- An attorney charged with securities fraud and insider trading
- A university professor charged with bank fraud in connection with his receipt of a sizable business loan
- A prominent local businessman charged with bribing a public official in order to receive government stimulus money
- A building contractor charged with hacking into a competitor’s computers
- A business owner charged with bid-rigging and price-fixing
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Life Beyond the Office
When not performing legal services for his clients, Jud performs as a jazz saxophone player. As a professional musician, Jud had the pleasure of playing with Liza Minnelli, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Gladys Knight, and Mel Torme, among others.
Honors & Affiliations
- Board of Trustees, University of the Arts (2015–present)
- Appointed to serve on the Philadelphia Bar Association Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America for Criminal Defense: White-Collar (2020-present)
- Member, Board of Directors, Philadelphia Diversity Law Group
- AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Listed as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer (2021)
Speeches & Presentations
Instructor on trial advocacy at National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) programs in Philadelphia, 2007–present
Instructor on examination of expert witnesses at Temple University Beasley School of Law, LLM Program in Trial Advocacy, 2007–present
Frequent presenter at the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Annual White Collar Practice Seminar
"The Yates Memo: Its Implementation and Implications," CLE presentation to the Philadelphia Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association, White Collar Crime Committee
"When Bad Things Happen to Good Lawyers: Discovery Obligations, Social Media and the Modern Pitfalls of Criminal Litigation," CLE presentation to the Philadelphia Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association, White Collar Crime Committee
Presenter to Fulbright Scholars at Drexel University regarding their constitutional and legal rights while visiting students in the United States, 2012–present
"What Corporate Counsel Needs to Know About the Refocused SEC," DELVACCA In-House Counsel Conference
"The Role of the Internal Audit in Preventing and Detecting Corporate Fraud," Institute of Internal Auditors Conference
"Effectively Managing Corporate Investigations," Institute of Internal Auditors Conference
"Deferred Prosecution Agreements as an Alternative to Corporate and Individual Indictments," ABA In-House Counsel Conference, Washington, D.C.
"When Your Corporate Client Becomes a Criminal Target," CLE presentation, Philadelphia