Jake Hart has been a U.S. Magistrate Judge since 1997. Prior to that, he served for two years as the Director of Appellate Mediation of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Following his clerkship with Justice Samuel J. Roberts of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Jake joined Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis in 1968, where he remained until 1995. While at Schnader, Judge Hart concentrated his practice in the areas of labor & employment law, and ERISA litigation.

He has been a frequent CLE lecturer and, since taking the bench, Judge Hart has continued to speak extensively on a variety of topics including settlement techniques, discovery of electronic media, and civil practice in the federal courts.