[1] He was educated at Castleknock College, a private Roman Catholic boys' school in Dublin where he developed a useful network of contacts.
[2][3] His contemporaries at school included the future Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave.
[3] He went on to obtain an honours degree in legal and political science from University College Dublin.
He was a member of Fianna Fáil and for a time in the 1960s was joint Honorary Treasurer of the party (along with Neil Blaney).
After his death the UCD Student Legal Service society named its annual moot court competition in honour of the late Mr Justice Hederman.