James I. Stealey

After graduating from West Virginia University College of Law in 1980, Jim Stealey came to Parkersburg and began his legal career.

Areas of Practice

• Car wrecks
• Products liability
• Work-related injuries
• Insurance company misconduct—bad faith

Education

• West Virginia University College of Law, Juris Doctorate
• West Virginia Wesleyan College, Bachelor of Arts, Government/Speech Communications, magna cum laude 

Honors and Awards

• Voted Outstanding Young Man at West Virginia Wesleyan College
• Top 25 Seniors, West Virginia Wesleyan College
• National Honor Society
• Omicron Delta Kappa—national scholastic honorary society
• Outstanding Social Studies Student, West Virginia Wesleyan College
• Outstanding Advocate, M. E. Lugar Trial Competition, WVU College of Law
• Named to National Registry of Who’s Who, 2000 Edition
• President’s Award, Parkersburg Lions Club
• Leonard Jarrett Award, West Virginia Lions Sight Conservation Foundation
• Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America
• West Virginia State Bar Association Lawyer Citizen of the Year, 2002–2003

Offices Held

• West Virginia State Bar, Past President
• Wood County Bar Association, Past President
• Board of Governors, West Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
• National Conference of Bar Presidents
• West Virginia Judicial Hearing Board
• Parkersburg/Worthington Little League Baseball, Inc.
  • Past President
  • Commissioner
  • Board of Directors
• Parkersburg Lions Club, Past President
• American Heart Association, Wood County, West Virginia Unit
• Parkersburg Catholic Elementary School PTO, Past President
• Parkersburg Catholic Schools Foundation, Board of Directors
• Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame, Board of Directors
• Battle Against Cystic Fibrosis Football Classic, Board of Directors
• Parkersburg Art Center, Former Director
• WVU College of Law Visiting Committee
• West Virginia Supreme Court Law Day Committee
• M.E. Lugar Mock Trial Association, Past President,
• HealthSouth Western Hills Hospital Community Advisory Board

Speeches, Seminar Presentations, and Publications

Seminar Presentations to the West Virginia State Bar

• Use of the Internet in Smaller Offices
• Balancing Life's Obligations with the Practice of Law
• Setting Personal Goals and Priorities
• Lawyers and Community Involvement
• Legal Ethics
• Bridge the Gap program for new lawyers
• The Importance of Balance

Seminar Presentations to the West Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

• Effective Use of Discovery
• Developing Good Client Relations
• What Do Insurance Adjusters Want
• Lawyer Advertising
• Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Other Presentations and Speeches

• Appearances on “The Law Works” Public Television Program
  • West Virginia State Bar v. Allstate: Its Impact on the Regulation of the Practice of Law
  • The Programs and Projects of the West Virginia State Bar
  • The Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts Program and its Contribution to Legal Services for the Poor
  • Lawyers Are People, Too
• Authored The President's Page for The West Virginia Lawyer, May 2000–April 2001, published by the West Virginia State Bar

Professional Memberships

• West Virginia State Bar
• West Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
• Wood County Bar Association
• National Conference of Bar Presidents
• Southern Conference of Bar Presidents
• American Bar Association
• ABA House of Delegates, 2001–2002
• American Association for Justice