Mr. Murphy is co-founder and Chairman of Murphy & McGonigle, P.C. and leads the firm's Litigation Group. Over the last 30 years, Mr. Murphy has defended public companies and financial institutions as lead trial counsel in high-stakes litigation in courts throughout the U.S. 

Mr. Murphy also advises companies on the regulatory aspects of various business models leveraging blockchain technology. He is a thought leader and frequent speaker on blockchain and cryptocurrency related topics.

Mr. Murphy currently serves as lead trial counsel to a number of large banks in a variety of litigation and government investigations concerning Residential Mortgage Backed Securities issues.  He has served as lead counsel for securities exchanges in several High Frequency Trading class actions.

Mr. Murphy advises clients across the spectrum of the financial services industry with respect to compliance with the constantly evolving banking and securities laws, rules and regulations.  He also represents companies involved in investigations initiated by banking regulators, the SEC, FINRA and state Attorneys General.

Mr. Murphy has been named a Securities Regulation "Lawyer of the Year" in 2014 and 2016 by Best Lawyers in America®.  Mr. Murphy has been awarded Martindale Hubbell's highest rating, AV Preeminent (5.0/5.0).

Practice Areas

• Broker-Dealer Advisory & Counseling
• FinTech & Blockchain
• Regulatory Enforcement Defense
• Securities & Complex Commercial Litigation

Awards and Recognition

• Nine Murphy & McGonigle Lawyers, 10 Practices Earn Honors in 2019 Best Lawyers in America
  (08/15/2018)
  
• Murphy & McGonigle Chairman James Murphy Receives "Lawyer of the Year" Recognition in The Best Lawyers in America
  PR Newswire | (08/27/2013)
  
• Murphy & McGonigle Partners Recognized Among The Best Lawyers in America® for 2013
  (11/20/2012)
  

Seminars and Presentations

• Cryptocurrency & Financial Services - Afternoon Keynote: The future of US regulation in the Crypto space, Blockchain EXPO North America 2018
  11/28/2018 - 11/29/2018
• Identity in a Tokenized World: KYC, AML and Verification on the Blockchain
  02/28/2018 - 03/03/2018

In the News

• Chairman James Murphy Delivers Keynote at Blockchain Expo North America
  (12/04/2018)
  
• A Message from the Chairman
  (2017)
  
• An Interview with James Murphy
  Lawyer Monthly | (12/12/2016)
  
• Barclays, Exchanges Get High-Frequency Trading Suits Nixed
  Law 360 | (08/26/2015)
  
• Murphy & McGonigle Expands Presence in New York City
  PR Newswire | (03/26/2014)
  
• Insurers Lose Bid to Revive $1.8B MBS Suit in Top NY Court
  Law 360 | (02/25/2014)
  
• Murphy & McGonigle Boutique Is Recognized as Successfully Competing Against Megafirms in Securities Law Arena
  (03/15/2013)
  
• Insurers Can't Replead Case Over $2B In MBS: Judge
  Law 360 | (02/28/2012)
  
• New Law Firm Taps Growing Market
  NBC 12 | (06/28/2010)
  
• New Boutique Firm Formed: 15 Lawyers from LeClairRyan Form Murphy & McGonigle, P.C.
  The National Law Journal | (06/04/2010)
  
• Manhattan Federal Judge Dismisses $186 Billion 'Cash Sweep' Class Action Against Brokerages
  Law.com (Subscription Required) | (07/28/2009)
  

Education

• J.D., Vanderbilt University School of Law, 1988
• B.A., Economics, University of Virginia, 1985

Admissions

• California (Inactive)
• New York
• Virginia
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
• U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Virginia
• U.S. District Court, Central District of California
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York