Claudia Barber began serving as an administrative law judge with the District of Columbia Office of Administrative Hearings in August 2005. Judge Barber previously served as a hearing officer for the Baltimore City Public Schools from 2002 to 2005.

From 1990 to 2005, Judge Barber was a sole practitioner in Laurel, Maryland. Her areas of practice included civil litigation at the trial and appellate levels, church law, commercial and residential real estate law, estate and probate law, copyright and trademark law, worker’s compensation, bankruptcy, personal injury, civil rights, sexual harassment, race, sex and employment discrimination, EEO and corporate law. Prior to engaging in private practice, she worked as an environmental attorney for PRC-EMI, a government contractor environmental engineering firm. Judge Barber is the former law clerk to Master Elizabeth Tockman on the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.

From 2004-2005, Judge Barber served as a member of the board of directors of the Legal Aid Bureau of Maryland, Inc. In 2001, she also became board chairperson of the Elder Theodore L. Barber Scholarship Foundation, Inc., a foundation named in her father’s honor that was developed to award scholarships to at-risk and underprivileged youth. Over 50 scholarships have been awarded since the foundation began in 2001. Also in 2001, Judge Barber served as chairperson of the board of trustees of Greater Bethlehem Temple Church.

Judge Barber is a member of the Bars of the District of Columbia and Maryland. She is also admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Federal Claims Courts, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, District of Columbia and Federal Circuits, and the United States District Courts for Maryland and the District of Columbia. 

Judge Barber was awarded a full tuition-paid scholarship to law school, and received her juris doctorate degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1987, a master of science in education (with specialization in economics education) from Johns Hopkins University in 1983, and a bachelor of arts in communications and political science from Goucher College in 1980.