Born in Newark, New Jersey, Friedman received a Bachelor of Science degree from Old Dominion College (now Old Dominion University) in 1965, and a Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1969.
[2] He was a trust administrator for First Union National Bank from 1969 to 1970.
He was a judge on the Virginia General District Court for Juvenile & Domestic Relations from 1985 to 1991.
[2] On June 26, 1997, Friedman was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia vacated by Robert G. Doumar.
He assumed senior status on November 30, 2010, and retired from the court on August 19, 2011.