Biography

John is a Director licensed in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.  As chair of the firm's Corporate and M&A Practice Group, his practice involves mergers & acquisitions, corporate law, commercial finance, and business reorganizations representing both creditors and debtors. John served as Preti Flaherty’s Managing Partner from 2013 to 2019.

He has received the New Hampshire Bar Association President's Award for outstanding service to the poor. John was certified by The American Board of Certification (ABC) in Business Bankruptcy in 2004. He served two terms on the Concord City Council, served on the City's Personnel Appeals Board as Chair of the City of Concord Ethics Board. The First Circuit Judicial Conference appointed John to the Bankruptcy Merit Selection Panel for New Hampshire, charged with reviewing and interviewing applicants for the bankruptcy court. He also previously served on the Board of the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority.  John is a past President of the Concord Country Club.  In 2019, He was elected to the Law Council at his alma mater Washington and Lee University Law School.

John graduated from St. Paul's School in Concord in 1974, Bowdoin College in 1978 cum laude, and from W & L Law in 1981, where he was a member of the Law Review.

Professional Activities

  • American Board of Certification (ABC), Business Bankruptcy
  • Bankruptcy Merit Selection Panel for New Hampshire
  • Washington and Lee University Law School, Law Council member

Honors & Recognition

  • Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating
  • Recognized by Chambers, USA
  • Recognized by Best Lawyers in America
  • New Hampshire Bar Association President's Award

Civic and Charitable Activities

  • City of Concord Ethics Board, past chair
  • Concord Country Club, past president and board member
  • Concord City Council, past member
  • Concord Personnel Appeals Board, past member
  • New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, past board member

Firm Highlights

News

Maine Justice Foundation Opens Applications for the 2023 Access to Justice Tax Credit

The Maine Justice Foundation is pleased to announce that applications for the 2023 Access to Justice Tax Credit Program will open on June 1, 2023. The Foundation will accept applications from eligible attorneys from...

Press Coverage

Oxford Police Chief: Officer Tried to De-escalate Pursuit Before Fatal Crash

Officials from the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office have refused to provide documentation of the department's policy on police chases following the fatal high-speed crash of Nicholas Liebowitz in Gray, Maine, on Friday, April 28, 2023. Chief...

News

Maine Justice Foundation LGBTQ+ Fund Seeks Applications for 2023 Grants

The Maine Justice Foundation is pleased to announce a round of grants from the LGBTQ+ Fund. The Foundation will accept applications for grants from organizations working to advance awareness and understanding of LGBTQ+ issues...

News

14 Preti Flaherty Attorneys Selected as Chambers USA Leaders in Their Field

Fourteen Preti Flaherty attorneys and six practice groups have been selected for inclusion in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide to America's Leading Lawyers for Business , the highly regarded directory of leading attorneys and...

Publication

Bankruptcy Court Injects Uncertainty in Municipal Tax Foreclosures

Last October, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maine issued a ruling of concern for municipalities. The case ( In re Riendeau , 645 B.R. 321 [Bankr. Me. 2022] ) established that...

Publication

Municipal Update: Effect of Recent Supreme Court Decision on Sale of Tax Foreclosed Properties

Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court issued its opinion in  Tyler v. Hennepin County, Minnesota  (598 U.S. _____ (2023)). The Supreme Court held that Hennepin County had violated the Fifth Amendment’s takings clause by...

Press Coverage

Authorities Refuse to Release Records for Maine School Shooter Hoax Calls

On November 15, 2022, multiple law enforcement agencies in Maine received false calls alerting police to active shooter situations at several high schools throughout the state. In the wake of this widespread hoax, the Kennebec...

Event

Bodie Colwell joins ethics panel at the Northeast Bankruptcy Conference & Northeast Consumer Forum

An annual conference, this year's Northeast Bankruptcy Conference and Consumer Forum will focus on sophisticated financial scenarios practitioners often face and provide insights on current consumer bankruptcy issues. Preti Flaherty's Bodie Colwell is a...

Publication

H-2B Visa Program Summary

The H-2B classification allows foreign nationals who are citizens of certain named countries, with limited exceptions, to accept temporary non-agricultural employment in the United States, after the employer has obtained temporary labor certification by...

Publication

Post Sackett: What Is the Scope of the Clean Water Act?

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) rendered a decision in Sackett et ux. v. EPA addressing what Justice Alito referred to as a “nagging question” of what water bodies are covered under...