Page 26 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2023

PEOPLE
Barlow&Goff story by Lynn Lofton photos by Arielle Victoria and courtesy of Barlow & Goff
The partners of the Ocean Springs law firm of Barlow
& Goff are two young attorneys who are passionate about their work. Jonathan M. Barlow and Marshall J. Goff have
a well-rounded practice with specialty areas that include workers’ compensation, personal injury, criminal defense and longshore.
But their stories began years ago. Barlow, who grew up in St. Martin, as an infant was a guardian ad litem baby, a ward of the state. Guardian ad litems are court appointed attorneys who make a best interest evaluation in cases dealing with custody of children.
murder trials.
His career began in the Hinds County Public Defenders
office. Later he was with a private firm as senior attorney representing clients in domestic cases including divorces, custody cases, and child support matters with two associate attorneys. Barlow went on to work with a private immigration firm representing both detainees and non detained clients in USCIS proceedings, and he was staff attorney for the Jackson County Chancery Court.
Professionally Barlow is a workers’ compensation instructor for the National Business Institute; member of the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Executive Committee; former president of the Jackson County Young Lawyers Division; and a member of the Mississippi Association for Justice, Capital Area Bar Association, and National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
When not working, Barlow enjoys fishing, cooking and spending time with family and friends. “I have a lovely wife and one child, and we enjoy spending time together, learning about dinosaurs, and playing on the beach.”
Marshall Goff is a native of Jackson and a graduate of Mississippi College and the Mississippi College School of Law. His career began in the public defender’s office in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was then staff attorney for the Department of Corrections in Mississippi. He also worked for a private immigration firm.
He holds membership in the Mississippi and Alabama
Bar Associations, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association and has won several professional awards and honors. Goff sits on the Federal Criminal Justice Act Panel as a federal public defender representing indigent clients against the United States Government and acts as the sitting secretary for the Mississippi Association of Justice.
Barlow & Goff, PLLC
228.238.8252 www.bglawgroup.net
Marshall J. Goff
Attorney
“I was blessed to have
a wonderful guardian ad litem, judge, and attorney
in my case. Their work ultimately resulted in me winding up in the best family I could hope for which led to being where I am today,” he says. “Without the work of the attorneys in my case, who knows what would’ve happened.”
Barlow went into the legal profession because he wanted to give back due to those who helped him.
“My favorite part of the practice is discussing the
case with the clients and explaining how to navigate the legal system – in whatever style of case they have – from start to finish,” he says. “I think explaining the why to a person goes a long way with building trust. I enjoy speaking with my clients along the way and trying to make it as easy a process as I can. I try to treat every client the way I want an attorney to treat my mother and father.”
Barlow is a graduate of Spring Hill College in Mobile where he earned a BA in political science and philosophy and a graduate of Mississippi College School of Law where he was a Dean’s Scholar and research assistant. In law school, he worked as a Guardian Ad Litem, and sat second chair on two
26 | September 2023
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