About the Project Director
Mr. Barkoff is a self-appointed expert on customer service. According to Mr. Barkoff, “I have been a customer all of my life—60 years! Shouldn’t that make me an expert at least in some areas of customer service?”
Despite his demanding day job as a partner with the law firm of Kilpatrick Stockton LLP in Atlanta, Mr. Barkoff’s fascination with customer service continues to grow. He began keeping notes on service situations several years ago, conceiving the idea of the anec.data project in 2006 after making several keen observations.
Mr. Barkoff noticed that so many of his friends behaved in a passive-aggressive manner toward customer service problems – complaining abut poor service but failing to take steps to correct the situation, or for that matter, even voicing their concerns to the service provider. He concluded that when he decides to hang up his legal spurs, Mr. Barkoff's focus on this customer service project will keep him from driving his wife insane.
A native of New Orleans but an Atlantan since 1973, Mr. Barkoff’s legal practice focuses on franchise law. He has been voted one of the ten most respected franchise lawyers in the world, and one of the Best Lawyers in America in the franchising category. He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of Fundamentals of Franchising, a book designed to introduce novices to the basics of franchising law, and served as Technical Editor for the First Edition of Franchising for Dummies. He has published almost 200 articles on franchise law. Prior to joining his current law firm, his last job was cutting grass.