Retired N.J. Superior Court Judge C. Judson Hamlin, now with Martin Kane Kuper. Courtesy photo.

Retired Superior Court Judge C. Judson Hamlin held leadership roles in the Middlesex Vicinage as part of his distinguished legal career. But the practice of law was something he said he “stumbled upon.”

“And it became the best thing that I stumbled on,” said Hamlin, also a former county prosecutor and deputy public defender who turns a “young” 82 next month. He has practiced as a mediator and arbitrator since his retirement from the bench.

“It keeps me alive,” added Hamlin, who has been a practicing attorney since 1963.

Not surprisingly, retirement is not something that Hamlin has begun to embrace, because as of July 29, he started a new job as of counsel at Martin Kane Kuper in East Brunswick.

“They don’t get too fancy with titles for old retired judges,” he joked. “That’s my job, of counsel.”

Asked what type of work he would be doing there, Hamlin, joined by his wife of 32 years, Carol, on the speakerphone interview in their Cranbury home, said: “People will come in for my knowledge and expertise on a specific area and seek my advice. It won’t all be clients. There will be lots of attorneys that I have known for years that I expect will be coming to see me.”

“When you do this at this part of your life, it’s a nice, relaxed thing to do when you’re an ancient judge,” he added. “As a retired judge, I don’t have to work, which is great. If I’m involved, I’ll go to work, and if I’m not, I’ll stay home or do other things.

“A good thing with an old man with a pension is I can go in when I want or sleep in. I don’t consider it a burden,” he said.

Hamlin, in addition to his service on the bench, is an accomplished civil trial attorney, former deputy public defender in charge of the Middlesex County office, and first assistant prosecutor and prosecutor of Middlesex County.

In the Superior Court from 1978 to 1998, he served as presiding judge of both the Civil and Chancery divisions.

Since his retirement in 1998, Hamlin has mediated numerous litigation matters, including class action and mass tort matters brought on behalf of private parties. He also has served as court-appointed compliance master in class actions, appointed discovery master in complex litigation, and independent investigator on behalf of public entity employers. Hamlin also serves as the future claims representative in a federal asbestos bankruptcy matter.

“I’m 81 years old, and I’ve been practicing law forever. You work with good attorneys and bad attorneys, and what people hired me to do is to sit down and convince them to settle a case without going to trial to save both parties money,” Hamlin said of his role as a mediator and arbitrator.

“Look, I enjoy being a lawyer,” Hamlin said. “I was always a trial lawyer, and every once in awhile, you see justice actually happen where good people are rewarded and bad people are not.

“As a prosecutor, I prosecuted bad people who did bad things, like shoot a state trooper or steal from the public,” he said.

Hamlin worked at two previous firms as of counsel, including most recently the Keefe Law Firm for seven years, where he just finished earlier this year.

He went on the bench at age 40 and stayed for 20 years. After retiring from the bench, he spent close to 15 years at Purcell, Mulcahy, O’Neill & Hawkins in Bedminster as of counsel.

Hamlin continues to lecture at the Institute for Continuing Legal Education and on Aug. 2 delivered a lecture on ethics. He continues to be an active member of multiple local, state and national bar associations.

Since retiring from the bench, “I don’t have typical days,” Hamlin said. “Each day is a new adventure. And If I don’t end up in the emergency room, I consider it a success.

“So far so good,” he said.