File photo by Scott McCloskey Linda and the late Jim Bordas are shown during the 2016 J.B. Chambers YMCA Light of the Valley Award ceremony.

CHARLESTON — The West Virginia Association for Justice on Thursday presented its Legacy of Justice Award posthumously to the late James G. Bordas Jr. of Bordas and Bordas in Wheeling. The award recognizes Bordas’ decades of commitment and service to the West Virginia Association for Justice, its members and West Virginia’s civil justice system.

The award was presented to his wife, Linda Bordas, by association President Jonathan R. Mani. Bordas’ sons, Jamie and Ben Bordas, attended the presentation.

“Jim Bordas is a legend in the West Virginia legal community. He was proud that he was from West Virginia, that he practiced in West Virginia and helped our state’s residents, consumers and workers get justice. I heard stories about him from the moment I began practicing law,” Mani said.

“Jim was a respected leader in the West Virginia Association for Justice who was committed to the association and its work to protect our civil justice system. He shared his experience and knowledge with other lawyers. Although Jim is no longer with us, his knowledge and guidance will continue to shape the practice of law for many years to come.”

It was a sentiment echoed by association President-Elect Jonathan Marshall.

“Jim was one of those senior lawyers that you looked up to, especially when I first joined WVAJ. You saw the things that he had accomplished professionally and personally, and you aspired to be like him. Later I had the privilege of serving as co-counsel with him and other attorneys in his firm for several significant cases, and my appreciation of him only grew larger,” Marshall said.

Linda Bordas said her husband would have been honored to receive the award.

“Jim always looked forward to West Virginia Association for Justice meetings and spending time with his friends and other members,” she said. “WVAJ and its members are committed to justice. We worked together to make things right for our clients. The members know how difficult the job can be. To receive this honor from his peers would have meant a lot to Jim.”

Jamie Bordas now serves as the managing partner of Bordas and Bordas, the law firm established by his parents.

“My dad was very proud to be a West Virginia lawyer who was able to not only help the people living in his home state, but also throughout the country. From Wheeling, my dad took on Honda. From Wheeling, my dad took on Quicken Loans for its predatory lending practices, particularly against Black families. From Wheeling, my dad took on the big coal companies when female miners were being harassed on the job, and it changed how women everywhere were being treated in the workplace. He was committed to helping people and made a real difference doing it,” Jamie Bordas said.

Jim Bordas practiced law for 47 years. Originally from Charleston, Bordas earned his bachelor’s degree from West Virginia State University and his Juris Doctorate from the WVU College of Law.

He began his legal practice in Wheeling in 1972. In 1985, he and his wife founded Bordas and Bordas which now employs 18 lawyers and dozens of support staff in four offices located in three states.

Bordas served as a board member of the West Virginia Association for Justice for more than 20 years. He received the association’s Member of the Year award in 2009. Bordas passed away September 19, 2019.