AccountsRecovery.net has learned that noted industry attorney John Bedard is retiring and that he plans to embark on a cross-country motorcycle trip.
An avid motorcycle enthusiast, Bedard has been planning the trip for several years and has been waiting for the right time to make the decision. While the decision to retire six months before Regulation F goes into effect is questionable, staying at home for the past year because of the COVID-19 pandemic refocused his priorities and he said that continuing to wait was not what he wanted to do.
“I have loved every minute of my life in the collection industry,” Bedard said in an exclusive interview with AccountsRecovery.net. “But the pandemic has given me a lot of time to think and the more I thought about taking this step, the more excited I got. I will miss everyone I have worked with over the years, but it’s time for me to start the next chapter in my life.”
Bedard has been one of the most knowledgeable and respected members of the collection industry for more than two decades. He started his own firm in 2009 and has been a fixture in courtrooms, boardrooms, and ballrooms for years.
Bedard graduated from Syracuse University College of Law and has started working initially in the mortgage industry, helping lenders and brokers with their compliance and defending them in court. Then, Bedard landed a new client who worked in the ARM industry and the rest is history.
When asked to share some of the highlights of his career, Bedard talked about testifying before Congress during a hearing on debt collection in 2019, and representing a client that was facing investigations from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and 13 state attorneys general.
When not working, Bedard has taken frequent trips across the country on his motorcycle, often with his father. Bedard said he fell in love with the romantic aspect of riding alone on the open road and that love has only grown with time.
“It has been fascinating to be involved in an industry that has changed so much in the past 20 years,” Bedard said. “The only thing that hasn’t changed is my ability to pull off a great April Fool’s Day prank.”
Happy April 1!!! And yes, Bedard is still very much in business and would like to help satisfy your legal compliance and defense litigation needs. Please email him at jbedard@bedardlawgroup.com to sign up for his all-inclusive, low monthly fee, compliance service named BLG360 or to just tell him you liked this article.
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