About Christopher
Christopher Peifer built his path to the law in Ohio. He earned a B.A. from Wright State University in 1996 and took his law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law in 2000. Those years shaped the practical side of his training and set the stage for a career centered on workplace disputes and collective representation.
He joined Barkan Meizlish early in his post-law school years and rose to partner. The firm’s name appears on his business card as Barkan Meizlish DeRose Wentz McInerney Peifer, LLP, reflecting its growth and the integration of several practice groups over time. At the firm he manages casework, advises clients and helps shape litigation strategy. His partner role includes both client-facing work and responsibilities in firm governance.
Peifer’s membership in the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee is one of the clearest markers of his professional interests. That group brings together lawyers who represent unions, labor organizations and worker-side interests. His involvement there signals steady engagement with the legal issues that arise in collective bargaining, contract interpretation and labor disputes. He also holds other professional memberships.
On the docket, Peifer handles a mix of contested matters. He has experience in arbitration and administrative proceedings, and he appears in state and federal forums when cases require it. He represents clients in grievance hearings and has worked on cases that require careful attention to contract language and statutory frameworks. He is known among colleagues for approaching factual detail directly and preparing cases thoroughly before hearings.
Colleagues describe his courtroom style as concise and practical. He tries to pare complex disputes down to the central legal and factual disputes. That approach shows up in how he prepares witnesses and frames legal arguments. He also invests time in the common, less visible tasks: drafting briefs, preparing discovery requests, and negotiating settlements when the facts and law point that way.
Outside of litigation, Peifer contributes to the profession through committee work and by staying active in trade and association circles. His committee work with labor-focused bar groups keeps him current on evolving precedent and regulatory developments. He also mentors newer attorneys at the firm and participates in firm-level case reviews.
He is currently a partner at Barkan Meizlish DeRose Wentz McInerney Peifer, LLP and remains active in the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee. His current practice focuses on representing labor organizations and handling employment and labor-related disputes for clients in administrative and judicial forums.
