Stephen J. Murphy

About

Stephen J. Murphy joined the firm in early 2005 after a successful and rewarding career as a homicide prosecutor working in the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office. Mr. Murphy is a lawyer who is best known for his work in the courtroom, now focusing on serious construction accidents and catastrophic personal injury trial work. Mr. Murphy's hard work and skill in the courtroom have earned him many accolades from his colleagues, opponents and judges. Mr. Murphy was named "2022 New York City Lawyer of the Year" for all Plaintiff Personal Injury Lawyers in New York City by Best Lawyers Magazine. Mr. Murphy was described on Z100 Radio as a "legendary trial lawyer." He has been featured on Fox News Radio as one of "America's Premier Trial Lawyers" and was described in The New York Times as one of the "Top Attorneys in New York." He has regularly appeared on local and national news shows as an expert commentator on civil and criminal cases and issues. Mr. Murphy's honors and accolades include: Mr. Murphy handles a wide range of cases including labor law and construction accidents, tractor trailer and truck collisions, wrongful death, premises liability, medical malpractice and motor vehicle cases. With only 14 years in civil practice, Mr. Murphy already has an extremely impressive body of work, regularly returning verdicts and settlements in excess of a million dollars. He has amassed over $350,000,000 in results for his clients during that time period, including an average of well over $40,000,000 in settlements every year since 2013. Mr. Murphy is an attorney that members of the bar, from Brooklyn to Buffalo, frequently consult with on trial matters and refer their most significant cases to. 2021 . . . Top 3 Construction Accident Results in all of New York State Mr. Murphy has developed a reputation for fighting for the hardworking women and men in New York. This was never more evident in 2020 and 2021 when VerdictSearch recognized his efforts in their publication on verdicts and settlements in 2020-21. The publication delineates the top published results in a particular practice area. Mr. Murphy was the lead attorney on the top 3 construction accident results in the entire Northeast. 2020 . . . 3 of Top 50 Personal Injury Settlements in the United States Mr. Murphy and Partner David L. Scher attained three of the legal publication Top Verdict's Top 50 Personal Injury Settlements in 2020. They are the only two lawyers to achieve this in the United States. The three recognized settlements include a $4,500,000 settlement (ranked 37th) for a carpenter injured in a fall, a $4,450,000 settlement (ranked 38th) for a laborer who suffered injuries in a forklift accident, and a $3,600,000 settlement (ranked 46th) for a construction worker who fell from scaffolding at a Manhattan job site. 2016 . . . 3 of Top 5 Largest Results in New York State! Mr. Murphy was the lead trial lawyer on the 2 nd ($9,975,000), 3 rd ($7,400,000) and 5 th ($5,500,000) largest settlements in the entire state of New York for 2016, according to the New York Law Journal and the Jury Verdict Reporter . The publication also recognized Murphy for posting the 10 th and the 18 th largest settlements in the state. Murphy had more reported million dollar results in 2016 than any other attorney in New York. [ Read about the 2016 Successes : http://nylawyer.nylj.com/adgifs/specials/2016-1214SS-TopSettlements/2016-1214SS-TopSettlements.html] 'The Good Samaritan Case' Mr. Murphy, along with his colleague Daniel O'Toole, persuaded a Suffolk County jury to return a record-setting verdict of $32,756,156 on behalf of a 60-year-old man in a traumatic brain injury case. The verdict, covered extensively by the local media, is the largest negligence verdict ever in Long Island and was featured in a cable television documentary entitled "The Good Samaritan." In addition, the result was also recognized by the New York Law Journal as the second highest negligence verdict in New York State for 2007 and one of the top 100 verdicts that year for the entire United States. '10th Largest Settlement in 2014 for the Entire United States' Mr. Murphy and his partner David Scher were able to recover $8,800,000 for a female pedestrian who sustained neurologic and orthopedic injuries in a collision. The landmark result was hailed by the 'National Law Journal' as the 10th highest settlement in the entire country for 2014. It also was the 4th largest settlement in New York State during 2014. This marks the 3rd time in seven years, and second year in a row, that one of Mr. Murphy's results was included among the top 50 results in the entire country by the 'National Law Journal.' Three of the Top 25 Results in All of New York State in 2015 Mr. Murphy was the lead lawyer on three different cases which were recognized by the New York Law Journal in their Top 25 Settlements for the 2015 year. The results that appeared in the New York Law Journal included the #5 Settlement ($7,525,000), the #13 Settlement ($4,600,000) and, finally, the #25 Settlement ($3,200,000) in all of New York State. Mr. Murphy was the only attorney in New York State who appeared in the Top 25 Results on three separate cases. Other Notable Results: Mr. Murphy has successfully negotiated a $15,500,000 settlement for a client who sustained a traumatic brain injury. He also was able to persuade two insurance carriers to pay $9,950,000 to avoid a trial in Buffalo in a case where a young woman sustained an above-the-knee amputation. Mr. Murphy recovered $7,500,000 from the City of New York in a pedestrian accident case. He also was able to persuade an insurance company to pay his client, a union sheet metal worker, $7,400,000 on the eve of trial for back injuries he sustained in a construction site fall. Mr. Murphy has long been a fierce advocate on behalf of construction workers and their families. In another construction case, he fought and recovered $5,500,000 for an injured electrician who sustained a brain injury after falling from an extension ladder. Recently, Mr. Murphy was able to successfully negotiate a $7,525,000 settlement for a family after a devastating accident where a mother and a 7-year-old boy were killed and a $9,950,000 settlement for an upstate woman who lost her leg in a work accident. In Queens County, Mr. Murphy recently convinced a jury to return a verdict of $5,585,000 for an undocumented worker who sustained back and wrist injuries in a construction accident. He also convinced a large insurance company to pay $4,600,000 out of $5,000,000 in insurance coverage for an injured Rigger who sustained neck and back injuries. Mr. Murphy also secured $3,925,000 for an injured worker that tried to help a truck driver who was stuck at a railroad crossing. The truck was struck by a locomotive while the plaintiff was trying to assist the truck driver, resulting in serious orthopedic injuries to the plaintiff. This result was also listed by the 'National Law Journal' as one of the Top 50 Settlements in the United States in 2013. Experience as a Homicide Prosecutor and Adjunct Professor of Law Mr. Murphy began his legal career working as an Assistant District Attorney. He honed his skills in the criminal courtrooms in Brooklyn, prosecuting violent crimes. Mr. Murphy earned a reputation from the judiciary and his colleagues as a tough, but fair, prosecutor. In early 2002, the District Attorney appointed Mr. Murphy to the Homicide Bureau. Mr. Murphy, the youngest member of Brooklyn's Homicide Bureau at the time, successfully handled several high profile cases, including double and triple murders, arson homicides, gang murders and brutal murders of innocent children. Mr. Murphy also served as an Adjunct Professor of Law with the St. John's School of Law from 2003-2011. He taught students the art of trial advocacy. Other Notes: In July 2003, Mr. Murphy traveled to Sarajevo on behalf of the United States Justice Department to assist in the implementation of a new justice system in post-war Bosnia & Herzegovina. While there, Mr. Murphy, and two Federal District Court judges from California, were responsible for trial advocacy training for the newly appointed attorneys and judges in the region. Mr. Murphy served as an adjunct professor of law for eight years at the St. John's University School of law. He instructed students on trial advocacy and lectured on criminal and civil trial practice and evidence. Mr. Murphy also served as an instructor for their nationally regarded trial advocacy program. His students won national championships in trial competitions in five of the seven years Mr. Murphy was involved. In 2014, the St. John's School of Law honored Mr. Murphy with the P.T.A.I. 'Alumni Excellence Award.' In 2011, Mr. Murphy was appointed to the New York County Democratic Judicial Screening Panel and in 2015 he served on the Kings County Democratic Screening Panel. Mr. Murphy has also appeared on Court TV, Z100 Radio, Fox Radio and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio as a guest host offering expert legal commentary and his work has been featured in The New York Times, New York Post, Newsday and New York Daily News. Mr. Murphy has been published in The New York Law Journal for a series of columns that he co-authored with colleague David Scher concerning the laws that apply to construction accidents. Mr. Murphy is a proud member of the St. Jude Children's Hospital fundraising team, helping raise well over $3,000,000 for this worthy cause. He also is a dedicated supporter of the Frances Pope Memorial Foundation, an important charity that assists families with a child that has been diagnosed with a pediatric disease such as leukemia and cancer. Experience: Results

Credentials

Recognition & Involvement