Paul A. Murphy

Paul A. Murphy is a trial attorney at Murphy Legal PLLC with more than three decades of experience in high-stakes litigation. He represents clients in government investigations, criminal prosecutions, internal investigations, and complex commercial disputes. His clients have included companies, directors, officers, fund managers, entrepreneurs, compliance officers, senior professionals, and institutions.

Paul earned his A.B. from Georgetown University and his J.D., cum laude, from St. John’s University School of Law. He served as Editor-in-Chief of the St. John’s Law Review. His education supports his work in legal analysis, trial preparation, criminal defense, internal investigations, and complex commercial litigation matters and strategy.

Paul spent almost eighteen years with the U.S. Department of Justice, where he investigated and prosecuted white-collar criminal matters. He handled securities and commodities fraud, healthcare fraud, tax fraud, public corruption, international fraud schemes, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters, national security matters, and export control issues in federal courts.

Paul represents clients before U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide, federal regulators, state law enforcement authorities, and courts. His matters include grand jury investigations, SEC inquiries, white collar defense, corporate visa fraud, government contracting disputes, research grant fraud, civil rights investigations, union benefit plan matters, and complex civil litigation cases and trials.

Paul has been recognized in the 2025 and 2026 editions of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America. He is admitted in New York, the District of Columbia, the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Ninth Circuits, and multiple federal district courts.

Paul A. Murphy also serves through professional affiliations with the New York Council of Defense Lawyers, the Federal Bar Council, the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the New York City Bar. His practice reflects forceful advocacy, practical judgment, and a steady focus on achieving strong outcomes in complex high-stakes matters.

Law Office Affiliations

• Founder, Murphy Legal PLLC
• Member, New York Council of Defense Lawyers
• Member, Federal Bar Council, Federal Criminal Practice Committee
• Member, American Bar Association, Criminal Justice, Litigation Sections
• Member, New York State Bar Association, Commercial & Federal Litigation Section
• Member, District of Columbia Bar Association
• Member, New York City Bar

Licensed State

• New York
• District of Columbia

Education

• St. John’s University School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Georgetown University
  Bachelor of Arts (AB)

Awards & Badges