Barkan Neff Handelman Meizlish can trace its roots to 1948 when Irwin
W. Barkan started practicing workers’ compensation law in Columbus, Ohio.
The history of the present day firm started in 1957 with the formation of
the Barkan & Barkan partnership comprised of I.W. and his cousin, Irving
Barkan.
From offices located at 8 East Long Street, the Barkan cousins focused
their practice primarily on workers’ compensation. In 1960, Frank J. Neff
joined the firm as an associate. Frank expanded the practice by doing
criminal, divorce, bankruptcy, real estate and probate work. Eventually,
he began handling some personal injury cases.
When Congress amended the Social Security Act in 1958 to provide benefits
for those who became disabled prior to retirement age, Barkan & Barkan was
one of the first law firms in the nation to represent such persons.
In 1970, Frank became a partner, and the firm name was changed to Barkan,
Barkan & Neff. Ten years later, Irving left the firm, and again the name
was changed to Barkan + Neff. By this time, the law firm restricted its
practice to workers’ compensation, social security disability, personal
injury, product liability, medical malpractice, probate and black lung
cases.
The Ohio practice has expanded offices through the years. There has been
an office in Marietta for nearly twenty years, and four years ago, Barkan + Neff
opened an office in Dayton.
In 1983, Barkan + Neff opened its first office out-of-state in Tampa, Florida.
The Florida practice handles social security cases exclusively. Eventually
offices were added in Ft. Myers, Dade City and St. Petersburg.
A year later, in 1984, Barkan + Neff started a social security practice in
New Orleans, Louisiana. Today, there are offices in the central business district
of New Orleans as well as New Orleans East, Gretna and Amite.
On January 1, 2006, Barkan + Neff expanded its legal services by merging with
the law firm of Handelman and Kilroy. Handelman and Kilroy has a proud and
distinguished career representing labor unions and their members, as well as
individual employees in wrongful termination and civil rights cases.
Handelman and Kilroy has represented organized labor in a wide range of industries
and professions. The firm’s attorneys have negotiated collective bargaining
agreements in aviation, ground transportation, manufacturing, the service
industry, health care, telecommunications, and the governmental sector. Their
record of victories in labor arbitration and state and federal litigation is
outstanding. The firm has protected the rights of individual employees in
state and federal court, as well as before the administrative agencies that
regulate the workplace.
Following the merger, our firm is known as Barkan Neff Handelman Meizlish, LPP.
Today, Barkan Neff Handelman Meizlish, LPP represents Ohioans from all over
the state in workers’ compensation, employment law, social security, personal
injury, medical malpractice, product liability, wage and hour matters. In Florida
and Louisiana, Barkan Neff Handelman Meizlish continues to represent clients
in social security matters. Through its labor law practice, the firm represents
labor unions with members in all fifty states. With its multiple offices in
Ohio, Florida, Louisiana, Barkan Neff Handelman Meizlish, LPP is one of the
most unique plaintiff and labor law firms in the nation.