# Bradford & Barthel, LLP

> Bradford & Barthel, LLP is a California- and Nevada-focused defense law firm built around workers' compensation. Founded in 1997 by Thomas W. Bradford and Donald R. Barthel, it combines statewide local counsel, specialized litigation units, appellate work, impairment-rating analysis, client training, and claims strategy for insurance carriers, third-party administrators, self-insured employers, and other businesses. The firm says it has more than 160 attorneys across 14 offices and serves more than 350 clients.

- **Founded:** 1997
- **Headquarters:** California and Nevada, United States
- **Founders:** Thomas W. Bradford (Founding Partner), Donald R. Barthel (Founding Partner)
- **Team size:** The firm says it has 160+ attorneys across 14 offices; LinkedIn lists 201-500 employees and displayed about 303 employee profiles when researched. A supplied company-data record estimates 310 employees.
- **Products:** Workers' Compensation Insurance Defense, Appellate Division, AMA Guides Analysis & Rating, Complex Litigation and Large Loss, Employment and Labor Law
- **Notable:** Founded in 1997 and expanded to 14 offices serving California and Nevada workers' compensation venues., Reports 65,000 cases closed, 30,000 AMA analyses, 20,000 continuing-education certificates issued, and $1.9 million saved on audit penalties., Moved all 12 offices then operating onto WCAB e-filing in 2009, according to the firm's historical account.

## Products & services

- **Workers' Compensation Insurance Defense** — Defense of claims for carriers, third-party administrators, self-insured employers, and uninsured employers across California and Nevada.
- **Appellate Division** — Petitions for removal and reconsideration, writ practice, and appellate work before California courts and the state Supreme Court.
- **AMA Guides Analysis & Rating** — Specialist analysis of permanent-impairment reports and disability ratings; the firm reports 30,000 analyses completed.
- **Complex Litigation and Large Loss** — Strategy and defense for severe, expensive, or procedurally complicated workers' compensation matters.
- **Employment and Labor Law** — Related employer-side counsel, including Labor Code section 132a discrimination and serious-and-willful misconduct matters.
- **Liens, Subrogation, Fraud, and Audit Assistance** — Specialist services for recovery rights, lien disputes, suspected fraud, reimbursement, and state audit exposure.
- **Training and Continuing Education** — Webinars, custom training, cheat sheets, a podcast, and eligible continuing-education programs for claims professionals.

## Achievements

- Founded in 1997 and expanded to 14 offices serving California and Nevada workers' compensation venues.
- Reports 65,000 cases closed, 30,000 AMA analyses, 20,000 continuing-education certificates issued, and $1.9 million saved on audit penalties.
- Moved all 12 offices then operating onto WCAB e-filing in 2009, according to the firm's historical account.
- Won two technology-related honors reported by the firm in 2010 for knowledge management and cloud collaboration work.
- Opened a Bakersfield office in 2022 to put attorneys near the local WCAB venue full time.
- Equity partner John P. Kamin received the California Lawyers Association Workers' Compensation Defense Attorney of the Year recognition for 2025.
- The firm's appellate lawyers secured a published Second District Court of Appeal decision rejecting the long-used Patterson doctrine in Illinois Midwest Insurance Agency v. WCAB (Rodriguez).

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Donald Barthel published the second part of the firm's fraud series, arguing for documentary evidence over stereotypical surveillance.
- **2026-06** — California Lawyers Association covered the published appellate decision in Illinois Midwest Insurance Agency v. WCAB (Rodriguez), agreeing with arguments advanced by Bradford & Barthel lawyers.
- **2026-01** — The firm presented training on taking statements from employers, injured workers, and witnesses.
- **2025-11** — The firm published its 2025 legislative update focused on issues carrying into 2026.
- **2025** — Equity partner John P. Kamin was selected as Defense Attorney of the Year by the California Lawyers Association Workers' Compensation Section.

## Links

- Website: https://bradfordbarthel.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bradford-%26-barthel
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/bradfordbarthel
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/bradfordbarthel/featured
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradford_barthel/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/pages/Bradford-Barthel-LLP/58070698935

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Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-13