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Business, Litigation, Insurance, Appeals

o: 231-947-0400
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Expertise:
Mr. Borden provides legal services to individuals, businesses, insurers and municipalities,  with a focus on trial and appellate litigation.

He is AV peer rated in Martindale-Hubbell.

His practice areas include contracts, business and commercial litigation, insurance coverage analysis and disputes, construction litigation, employment non-compete and non-disclosure agreements, indemnity, condominiums, trust litigation, nonprofit governance, and products, transportation and premises liability. He handles both first and third party insurance claims, including ERISA, automobile liability, no-fault insurance, and uninsured and underinsured motorist claims. Mr. Borden specializes in insurance coverage analysis and litigation. He provides coverage analyses for businesses, individuals, insurers and municipalities, and represents litigants in insurance coverage disputes. Appellate practice is another area in which he specializes. Mr. Borden has successfully represented clients in appeals to the Circuit Court, Michigan Tax Tribunal, Michigan Court of Appeals, Michigan Supreme Court and the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. 

Education:
Northwestern Michigan College, Associate of Arts 1977
Michigan State University, James Madison College, Bachelor of Arts 1979
Detroit College of Law, Juris Doctor Cum Laude 1982
Detroit College of Law Review, Note & Comment Editor
American Jurisprudence Book Award for Evidence

Experience:
Mr. Borden has extensive experience in litigation, insurance coverage and appellate practice. After graduating from law school in 1982, he worked as a Research Attorney for the Michigan Court of Appeals for two years. From 1985 to 1997, he worked in a large litigation law firm in the Detroit area where he was involved in all phases of insurance defense, product liability and insurance coverage litigation at the trial and appellate court levels. He returned to Traverse City in 1997 to work as the Managing Attorney of the Traverse City staff counsel office of Harleysville Insurance. He litigated trial and appellate cases and provided support for personal lines and commercial lines underwriting and claims personnel, including insurance coverage analyses. Mr. Borden became associated with Sondee, Racine & Doren, PLC in 2005, and has been a member of the firm since 2010.

Additional Professional Info:
Mr. Borden is a member of the Business Law, Insurance and Indemnity Law, Litigation, Appellate Practice, Information Technology and Agricultural Law Sections of the State Bar of Michigan. He has served on the Court Liaison/Rules Comment Committee of the Appellate Practice Section. He is a member of the Grand Traverse-Leelanau-Antrim Bar Association and has served as the association's President (2005-2006) and Treasurer (2002-2004). He is also a member of the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel and Defense Research Institute. Mr. Borden served on the 2005 Michigan Appellate Bench Bar Conference Planning Committee.

Mr. Borden is admitted to practice in the State Bar of Michigan, the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Civic and Charitable Activities:
Mr. Borden has served as a volunteer ambassador in the National Cherry Festival since 1995. He was elected to the National Cherry Festival's Board of Governors in 2008 and served as President in 2012-2013, and as Immediate Past President from 2013-2014. From 1998 through 2004, Mr. Borden coached his daughters' Odyssey of the Mind teams. He served on the Advisory Committee of Northwestern Michigan College's Legal Assistant Program from 2006 to 2012. From 2015 through 2018, Mr. Borden has served on the Charitable Gifts Committee of the Traverse City Track Club. Mr. Borden currently serves as Treasurer of the Traverse City Track Club.