PERSONNEL FILE: Bordas & Bordas hires John Artimez

WHEELING - Bordas & Bordas has announced the addition of a new attorney to its skilled legal staff.

John Artimez has joined the firm to assist with complex personal injury, insurance bad faith and medical negligence litigation. Artimez brings more than 30 years of highly successful litigation experience to the firm.

Born and raised in Moundsville, Artimez graduated from John Marshall High School in 1974. Following high school, he attended West Virginia University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in political science.

Having known he wanted to be a lawyer since the fifth grade, Artimez enrolled at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, where he was a two-time winner of the American Jurisprudence Award. After being selected to the editorial board of the Emory Law Journal upon completion of his first year of law school, his love for the Mountain State brought him back to WVU to complete his law degree.

Artimez began his legal career as a defense lawyer, and his ability in the courtroom soon had him responsible for the handling of multi-million dollar lawsuits on behalf of his firm’s clients. In a sign of things to come, he worked alongside Linda Bordas to create one of West Virginia’s earliest “Mary Carter” settlement agreements in a substantial toxic tort trial. In January 1990, Artimez left the practice of defense law to open a solo practice, dedicated exclusively to the representation of persons who had been injured through the negligence of others, along with the victims of insurance bad faith.

During his career as a plaintiffs attorney, Artimez has secured multiple seven-figure verdicts and settlements, including a verdict of $1.6 million in a motorcycle accident case; $1.2 million in an insurance bad faith case; and $1.5 million in a wrongful death case. In each of these cases, Artimez represented residents of Marshall County.

Throughout his career, Artimez has demonstrated a particular interest in protecting children. For many years, he served as a court-appointed guardian ad litem for children who were the victims of abusive and neglectful parents. Later, he served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Marshall County, where he was able to secure convictions and lengthy prison sentences for several sexual predators.

Jamie Bordas, managing partner of the firm, said that he is excited for what Artimez brings to the position.

“John will be a significant asset for our firm.” Bordas said. “He will be particularly helpful in allowing us to continue to provide excellent legal representation to our clients in Marshall, Wetzel and Tyler counties.

“Our firm has been blessed to be able to help so many people throughout the years and John’s passion for helping people is consistent with our efforts to continue to fight for justice.”

Bordas & Bordas is a plaintiff’s litigation firm of 14 attorneys based in Wheeling that also has offices in Ohio and practices throughout the region in diverse areas of law.