‘MY WILDEST DREAMS’
Local lawyer becomes president of Berks County Bar Association
READING >> With a strong work ethic instilled in him by his parents and grandparents and a passion for public service, Justin D. Bodor says he’s well-prepared to lead the Berks County Bar Association.
“It is an honor. It is something that I never in my wildest dreams as a kid growing up would have anticipated. I’m very lucky and very grateful for the opportunity,” Bodor, 40, said during a recent interview.
“I’ve been so lucky to have other lawyers and people in the profession take me under their wing since I started practicing law and I certainly could not be there without them. The fact they trust me with this position means a great deal to me, and I will do everything in my power not to let them down,” Bodor added.
Bodor, currently a prosecutor in the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, was installed as president of the bar association earlier this year, garnering respect from his peers. Bodor, who previously served as treasurer, vice-president and president-elect of the bar association, is believed to be one of the youngest presidents of the bar in recent times.
“Being able to work with the public for the greater good has really been something I always wanted to do, make decisions that help and serve the public,” said Bodor, a Boyertown Area High School graduate and 2005 graduate of Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law.
“Being able to work with the public for the greater good has really been something I always wanted to do, make decisions that help and serve the public.” — Justin D. Bodor
From his humble beginnings growing up in the Boyertown and Pottstown areas, Bodor said his grandparents and parents instilled in him a strong work ethic.
Bodor’s maternal grandparents, who reside in Colebrookdale Township, emigrated from Austria in 1956 when his mother was 2 years old and they settled in the township, initially working on a local fruit farm and eventually becoming U.S. citizens. Bodor’s maternal grandfather also worked at the Mrs. Smith’s Pies plant in Pottstown.
“Talk about the example of working hard, they certainly did,” Bodor said, affectionately.
Bodor fondly recalls spending time as a youth in Pottstown where his father, George, owns Bodor’s Lawn Mower Sales and Service in the North End. Bodor’s mother, Margaret, worked for the Montgomery County Visiting Nurse Association.
“Many, many Saturdays as a kid I would come over to the shop with my dad and also spend time with my (paternal) grandfather who worked at Dana,” Bodor recalled.
“To both my parents, character and working hard were important. Work hard and treat people the right way and be good citizens. People trusted my dad and that kind of thing was most important to him,” said Bodor, whose brother, Brandon, went to
West Point and embarked on a military career. “I’m so lucky. I came from a great background. I wouldn’t change it for the world. It was a great place to grow up. I still love the area.”
Bodor, who resides with his wife and two children in Oley Township, said the call to public service was strengthened and his love for the law flourished as he completed an internship with a Berks County Court judge while an undergraduate at Albright College before moving on to law school.
“I was there for the summer and I enjoyed it. I learned a lot. Walking through the courthouse halls I thought to myself, even at that age, this is where I want to be. This is where I want to work, spend my adult life working,” said Bodor who initially thought he’d practice corporate or business law. “But being in the courthouse and working with the public, it really kind of took hold.”
Following law school, Bodor worked as an assistant public defender in the Berks County Office of the Public Defender from 2006 to 2009 and then in private practice with Brennan & Associates from 2009 to 2010. Bodor has worked as an assistant district attorney in Berks since September 2010.
“That’s the job I really always wanted to do and I’ve been there 10 years and I love it every day. Making a difference is certainly important to me,” said Bodor, who oversees the district attorney’s drug treatment court program in addition
to carrying a regular caseload.
Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams said he is “extremely proud” that an assistant prosecutor from his office is now president of the bar association. Adams said he is not aware of anyone from his office in modern history having been installed as president of the bar association.
“He is a dedicated public servant. I think he’s the perfect person for that position because he is a definite leader. He’s also able to absolutely bring lawyers together despite the fact that they may be opposing each other in litigating cases. He’s the right individual to bring us into a cohesive group and to move that group forward and doing some positive things for our community,” Adams said.
A 1997 recipient of the Eagle Scout Award, Bodor also received a Council on Chemical Abuse Intervention Award in 2012 and his community service has included a stint on the board of directors of Berks Treatment Access & Services Center from 2014 to 2018.
Bodor intends to continue working as a prosecutor while fulfilling his duties as president of the bar association and said he’s ready for the challenge.
The central mission of the bar association, Bodor said, is to promote professional excellence, access to justice and the integrity of the legal system through service to its members and the community.
“It is an interesting year,” said Bodor, reflecting on the ramifications of
the COVID-19 pandemic on the legal community. “We are trying to do everything we can to provide service to the community and to lawyers in terms of education and classes.
“One thing about the pandemic, as terrible as it’s been, it has really forced people in the court system to modernize and I think there’s a lot of things that, I’m hoping after this is all over, will stick around,” Bodor said.
Bodor would like the bar association to examine and evaluate procedures the legal community has implemented during the pandemic, such as expanding and improving the use of technology to provide legal services to the public and to hold virtual hearings for some court proceedings when appropriate.
“So, one goal is to certainly work with the courts and the other lawyers to figure out how we can maybe take some of these changes that we’ve been forced to make and maybe keep some of them long-term or adopt them to make the court system more efficient and more accessible to the public,” Bodor explained.
Whether he’s working as a prosecutor in drug treatment court or fulfilling his duties with the bar association, Bodor says he tries to be “pragmatic and take a reasoned approach,” to do the right thing and look for the best solutions for people.
“I want to try to do things that make longlasting or longstanding changes for people for the positive,” Bodor said.