U.S. Magistrate Judge Joel Schneider, who spent the last 14 years coaxing litigants to settle cases in federal court, has left the bench to join the alternate dispute resolution practice at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads.

Schneider says he picked Montgomery McCracken, where he starts Feb. 1, because of the firm’s reputation for integrity and for the opportunity to work with respected colleagues, including his judicial predecessor and mentor, former U.S. Magistrate Judge Joel Rosen.