Harold Baer, Jr. 

(born 1933 in New York, New York) is a Federal District Judge in the Southern District of New York. He received his BA from Hobart College in 1954, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received his LLB from Yale Law School in 1957.

Baer's legal career began as an assistant to the General Counsel of Greater New York Mutual Insurance in 1958. He was then Assistant Counsel to the New York State Commission on the Governmental Operations of the City of New York (1959–60) and New York State Commission of Investigation (1960–61). From 1961 to 1967 he was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York. He then served as Executive director, Civilian Complaint Review Board New York City Police Department from 1967-1968 before going back to the US Attorney's office as the head of the Chief Criminal Division from 1970 to 1972. He was then an adjunct professor at New York Law School from 1974-1983.

Baer was elected to serve in the New York Supreme Court for New York County in 1982 and served until 1992. He was then Executive Judicial Officer for the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Service, Inc from 1992 to 1994. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on April 26, 1994, to fill a seat vacated by Robert W. Sweet. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 9 and received his commission the next day.  Judge Baer has since enjoyed a long tenure on the bench and assumed senior status on September 8, 2004.