NEW Episode of On Hook with James McNeil – When a Repossession Claim Hits: What Your Attorney Sees First

Attorney Patrick Newman on Credibility, Compliance, Video Evidence and Building an Agency That’s Easier to Defend

Attorney Patrick Newman of Bassford Remele joins James McNeil on On Hook for a candid look at the legal realities of repossession. Drawing on his background in skip tracing, collections and law, Newman discusses wrongful repossession claims, compliance, credibility, video evidence, and what makes a recovery agency easier, or harder, to defend.

Attorney Patrick Newman of Bassford Remele joins James McNeil for a wide-ranging conversation about the legal, operational, and human realities of the repossession industry.

Patrick shares the path that took him from skip tracing and frontline debt collection into law, and how that background ultimately led him to focus much of his practice on consumer finance, wrongful repossession litigation, compliance, and defense work for recovery agencies. From there, the conversation turns to some of the most difficult issues facing the industry today and the gap between having policies on paper and actually living them in practice.

James and Patrick also dig into what happens when a repossession claim is filed, what defense counsel looks for first, why credibility matters so much, how agencies can better prepare themselves before a claim ever happens, and the role lenders, forwarders, agencies, insurers, and attorneys all play in the broader compliance ecosystem.

The conversation also explores the value of video evidence and long-term retention, not only in defending claims but as a tool for training, coaching, accountability, and improving day-to-day operations.

Along the way, Patrick shares lessons from the courtroom, thoughts on what makes an agency easier to defend, and why continual improvement matters whether you are practicing law, running a recovery company, or trying to shave a few strokes off your golf game.