President Elect James Stealey-Striving to Balance the Bar

By Alisa Bailey

The offices of Goldenberg, Goldenberg and Stealey, in Parkersburg, are vastly different than they were several years ago when clients met with lawyers in a renovated Chinese restaurant and Jim Stealey only had one window that looked out onto a brick wall three feet away.

Perhaps it is the new offices, situated on a knoll overlooking the river, with vast window expanses that survey the Parkersburg-Marietta region, that have given Jim Stealey his vision for moving the West Virginia State Bar into the twenty-first century.

Indeed, Jim’s life is quite different than it was when he was growing up in a blue-collar home in Clarksburg, West Virginia, with his two sisters.

Perhaps it is those bygone days when kids played outside in the neighborhood until dusk and neighbors shared stories over the fence that have given him his vision for moving the state’s lawyers into the twenty-first century.

The bar now is quite different than what it was when the State Bar’s President-Elect graduated from West Virginia University College of Law in 1980.

Perhaps it is memories of local lawyers socializing together at annual picnics or occasional softball games that have given Jim Stealey his vision for leading the bar in the year 2000.

Perhaps it is all three….

Perched on the windowsill of Jim Stealey’s office is a pair of binoculars. He’ll tell you that two bald eagles and a plethora of other wildlife frequent the riverbank below. The binoculars aid in taking a break from the demands of a brisk plaintiff’s practice and provide him with an outlet to create more of a balance in his life. A balance---Stealey professes-that is needed to reinstate camaraderie and raise the opinion of the citizenry of the legal profession.

"There is a good deal more competition for business these days and this has helped to create a striking lack of courtesy and professionalism that existed just 20 years ago," he said.

"One of my goals as State Bar President is to focus upon our relationships with each other as members of the bar. It just seems to me that life is difficult enough and has enough pitfalls, without having to put on a suit of armor and do battle in a courtroom."

Stealey said that representing clients does not mean making things difficult for opposing counsel.

"Certainly, I think it is unprofessional for a lawyer to make a request that would jeopardize the rights of his or her client," he said. "For example, one lawyer calling another asking if he or she would voluntarily set a default judgement or waive a statute of limitations.

"On the other hand, I find it unprofessional when a lawyer refuses to honor another lawyer’s request of accommodation simply to be difficult. There are many things that come up in our lives, such as death of a family member or illness. I believe we are too quick not to accommodate opposing counsel even when the accommodation would not adversely affect our client’s rights."

Stealey intends to lead the bar "with any communication means possible" toward refocusing upon serving the public good in general and achieving justice instead of simply winning a verdict.

"I think it is incumbent upon the State Bar officers-whether it be at the annual meeting, at a public speech or on television-to stress professionalism. Courtesy among our members is part of an overall program of getting our priorities in order and learning not to permit the pressures of the profession to take a toll on our personal or professional lives."

Stealey is an interesting man. He’s a James Taylor look alike--with rather long hair and wire-rimmed glasses. His presence hearkens to days when more people looked at the world in a philosophical manner-looking at the society as a whole and wanting to fix the problems. It fits perfectly with his quest to achieve a kinder, gentler bar. Yet, this 60s-kind of reflection and hip demeanor might lead one to believe he also shares less-than-mainstream outlook, but nothing could be further from the truth.

There is another side of the complex Jim Stealey--the side that displays the eagle scout memorabilia on his office wall; the side that spends hours coaching his childrens’ sport teams; the side that is involved in countless civic activities.

He believes that in order to achieve balance, one must consciously dedicate one’s self to family values and to make work the second priority.

"I am sure I will remember the first time my child got the winning slam-dunk at a basketball game much more vividly than the first-time I got a slam-dunk against an insurance adjuster," he joked.

"I believe that by encouraging our profession to focus more attention on family, community, and in improving our relationships with each other, we can not only achieve a greater satisfaction in practicing law, but also we can raise the status of the profession in the eyes of the public."

Stealey’s approach to taking the helm is also to maintain and enhance existing bar programs. He said that it makes no sense to take a totally different course when there is progress with existing initiatives.

"The State Bar’s committee process is exceptional," he said. "I’ve seen so many good things come out of State Bar committees and it is imperative that we attract more lawyers to those committees and maintain their programming.

"I plan to continue with Dan Ringer’s public television program "The Law Works", which I think is a tremendous accomplishment. His ongoing affiliation with public broadcasting together with his ability to raise funds to get that public service program, was nothing less than remarkable and I intend to keep it going."

"And, the Pro Bono Referral Project has been a fine example of how important the State Bar has been to the citizens of West Virginia," Stealey said. "Some firms have really stepped up to the plate, and our goal should be to get even more lawyers involved with that initiative."

Stealey met his law partner Dave Goldenberg in law school and it is no surprise to those who know Jim that it happened as a result of his interest in sports and his ability to recruit for the home team. This one occurrence mapped out much of Jim’s life.

"The first week of law school I found out we would be having intramural basketball," he said. "I walked up to this tall, blonde-headed fellow and asked him to play on my team. He said ‘yes’ and we became instant friends."

That chance meeting mapped out Jim’s life which led him into being asked to join Dave’s father, Bob Goldenberg, who was a sole practitioner at the time.

Now the firm boasts four lawyers-the Goldenbergs, Stealey and Todd Wiseman. The vast majority of their practice centers on work-related injuries and insurance bad faith.

Stealey will not only carry the State Bar into the millennium this year, he will celebrate 20 years of marriage to Kitty Greene, whom he courted when she was a secretary at the law school. It only took one month after he moved to Parkersburg after graduation from law school to propose.

"I think she was really surprised when I popped the question," he said, "but she said ‘yes’ and we were married before Judge Spillers on June 28, 1980.

The Stealeys have three children Laura, 13; Jimmy, 11; and, Patrick, 9. All of the Stealey kids are active in sports and extra curricular activities so much so that Kitty and Jim split their time to meet all the demands, but the newly-elected Bar President is always quick to express his mantra.

"If you look for something to do around the office, you can always find it. I think the real importance as individuals is how we raise our families and the quality time we spend with them. I think that if we hope to be satisfied and happy with our personal lives, we will be more productive and, thus, satisfied and happy in the practice of law."

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