Get to Know… Roger Bearden

July 1, 2025

By: Roger Bearden

If you ask Roger Bearden about the trajectory of his peripatetic career, he’ll joke that he has proficiency in writing himself into a job as well as writing himself out of one.  His eclectic career has straddled the public and private sector in Albany and New York City in a way that Roger says only looks logical in retrospect.

Upon graduating from Harvard Law, Roger eschewed the traditional, high-powered path of an Ivy League-educated lawyer in New York City. He instead signed on with a firm to litigate First Amendment rights for traditional and non-traditional religious organizations navigating a variety of governmental challenges. He also represented other clients with unique legal needs, such as the Republic of Cuba and South Africa. He recalls this work as “having fun problems to solve.” 

Roger then moved into the not-for-profit field, and later to government service, advancing to senior leadership positions in both spheres, and always positioned to advocate for various populations outside of the mainstream, in particular, people with disabilities. Asked to explain these changes, Roger said: “I like new experiences, learning new things. I’m very curious and care about civil society.”

Today, Roger’s practice at Bond spans, among other things, governmental and regulatory affairs working closely with people and agencies who serve individuals with developmental disability, mental health, substance abuse, home care or fiscal intermediary needs across a wide variety of legal matters.

His interest in advocating for marginalized people and communities was kindled by his own family’s experience. Roger’s mother was born in Rumania in 1940. As a teen, his mother emigrated to Israel, then to New York City, and later settled in California, where Roger was raised. “The primary reason I became a lawyer was to combat discrimination and injustice.” 

After litigating in New York City, Roger moved to Albany to work as a staff attorney at Disability Advocates, Inc. There, he litigated class action suits against the State of New York on behalf of people with mental disabilities. 

In 2009, with the Democrats in control of the New York State Senate, Thomas K. Duane, Chair of the Senate Health Committee, tapped Roger to be his chief health counsel. In this role, Roger is most proud of his work in securing passage of the Family Health Care Decisions Act, which had languished for many years, providing a legal mechanism for families and others to make medical decisions regarding their loved ones. When the Democrats lost their majority in the Senate, Roger returned to New York City to work at the Disability Law Center of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, serving low-income and marginalized communities.  

Now with a family in Albany that included three small children, Roger commuted between the two cities, until New York State again sought him out, this time to Chair the NYS Commission on Quality Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities. In this role, he investigated the care and treatment of New Yorkers with disabilities in matters involving alleged abuse, neglect, wrongful death and Medicaid fraud. He implemented new case protocols and mechanisms to increase the efficiency and accuracy of investigations and reports, and represented the agency before the legislature, the media and external stakeholders.

“One of the first things I did was write a report recommending that a substantial portion of the Commission’s functions be moved outside of state government to empower the office and bolster its service and oversight capabilities. My recommendation was accepted, and as I led the process to secure a new vendor for the work, I basically wrote myself out of a job.” 

He had, however, earned a reputation that led the governor’s office to immediately place him in the New York State Executive Chamber as Special Counsel for Olmstead. Over the next 20 months, Roger directed the activities of the interagency Olmstead Implementation Cabinet charged with developing a statewide plan to serve individuals with disabilities in the most integrated setting.  Roger was also instrumental in creating a statute that provides an alternative to guardianship for certain people with disabilities, known as supported decision-making.

He later served as Assistant Counsel for Human Services and Mental Hygiene in the Executive Chamber, and as General Counsel and Executive Deputy Commissioner at the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). As Executive Deputy Commissioner, Roger was running the operations of the second largest state agency. In 2020, when COVID-19 changed everything, Roger became the agency’s public face of the agency, leading his team through the tremendous upheaval of its programs and protocols as it grappled with this unprecedented health emergency. 

“It was interesting, difficult and rewarding supporting my team of exceedingly talented, mission-driven people under enormous strain. I am very proud that our senior team stayed together during that entire period of 16-hour days, 6 days a week.  It was a professional experience I’ll never forget.”

Roger stayed at OPWDD until the end of 2022. He took a few months to recover, reevaluate and regroup.

In May of 2023 he joined Bond. “I like learning new things and I wanted to find new ways to apply my skills. The firm was looking for someone to navigate Albany and the health and human services space. My practice includes litigation, regulatory advising and administrative advocacy. Every problem is new, and I’ve really enjoyed the new opportunity.”