Eric Hunter, a beloved member of Bradford and Barthel’s family and strong contributor to most of the California workers’ compensation defense firm’s technological advances, has passed away.

Eric Hunter (Source: Bardford and Barthel)

He was 47 years old.

Hunter was chief technology and innovation officer at the firm, where he was also known as a global futurist and head of the firm’s Innovation Futures Division. His advanced understanding of disruptive technology helped promote positive change in B&B over the years, and played a key role in many projects including:

• The entire firm going “paperless” in 2019 and 2020.
• A decade before going paperless, Hunter helped the firm adapt to cloud computing for data backup before most firms.
• A complete website redesign in 2021.
• Use of integrative technology to set tasks, diaries, and reminders for the firm.

Hunter started out at the firm in 2005, and was promoted to become the firm’s Director of Knowledge, Technology and Innovation Strategies in 2009. In 2019, he became the firm’s Chief Technology and Innovation Officer. All in all, he spent more than 19 years as a key contributor to the firm.

In more recent years, Hunter helped Bradford and Barthel anticipate changes stemming from artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT for example.

To say that the family at Bradford and Barthel will miss Eric Hunter is an understatement.

“We have lost an amazing talent,” founding partner Don Barthel said. “Eric didn’t only lead the international advancement of technological answers to difficulty problems. He shared his knowledge with the world via multiple books and articles, as well as his speeches around the globe. He was also a wonderful co-employee, family member and friend. Truly one in the million.”

To Barthel’s point, Hunter was also known for his many projects outside of the world of workers’ compensation, and was an international keynote speaker, author, and pianist. His warm, easygoing personality and firm understanding of technology led to work with organizations such as Google, IBM, Shapoorji Pallonji Group in India, Polytechnic University in Hong Kong, KM Asia, KM Europe, KM Congress in India, Social Now in Portugal, Global Legal Forum in The Hague, and TEDx.

Hunter published four books, including:

• Travels in Time.
• Lawscape 2025: Defining the Law firm of Tomorrow.
• The Sherlock Syndrome: Strategic Success through the Darwinian Disruption.
• Legal Knowledge Management: Insights and Practice.

In his spare time, Hunter was also an accomplished pianist and released his first music video in 2024. The video is called Reflections in Montmartre, and can be viewed here.

To view Hunter’s Ted talks, go here and here.

John P. Kamin is a workers’ compensation defense attorney and equity partner at Bradford & Barthel’s Woodland Hills location. He is WorkCompCentral's former legal editor.