Attorney Ron Murphy is a 1983 graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law and the owner and principal trial lawyer of Advocates Law Firm. His practice is devoted exclusively to helping people who have been injured to get justice and compensation; and to helping people who have been accused of misconduct to defend their reputations and liberty.

Attorney Murphy represents people injured by Auto Accidents, Legal Malpractice, or Medical Malpractice; and he defends people accused in the areas of White Collar Criminal Defense, Federal Criminal Defense, State Criminal Defense, and Attorney Grievance Defense. Attorney Murphy also handles Commercial Litigation and General Complex Litigation.

He has successfully tried civil and criminal cases in state and federal courts in Connecticut; and has argued civil and criminal appeals before the Connecticut Supreme Court and the Connecticut Appellate Court. He has also handled claims and cases in the state and federal courts of Massachusetts, where he is also licensed to practice law.

Attorney Murphy is an accomplished trial lawyer. He is an Adjunct Instructor of Law at the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he currently teaches Trial Advocacy (and where he previously taught Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility). He has been awarded the highest rating available for lawyers as voted by his peers; is a designated "SuperLawyer" in Connecticut as chosen by the publishers "Law and Politics"*; has been selected by The American Trial Lawyers Association as one of the "Top 100 Trial Lawyers" in Connecticut; and is listed in "The Best Lawyers in America."

He has previously been Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Civil Trial Advocate (with recertification pending); is on the faculty of the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College (based in Jackson, Wyoming) where he teaches lawyers from around the country how to get the maximum recovery for injured clients and how to best defend those accused of misconduct; and was on the faculty of the Trial Advocacy Institute (sponsored by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and the Connecticut Bar Association), where he taught other Connecticut lawyers how to be better trial advocates and attorneys. Attorney Murphy is also a former certified Emergency Medical Technician as certified by the State of Connecticut; and the author of a legal publication entitled "Connecticut Medical Malpractice Claims." He is also regularly called upon by other lawyers seeking his advice and counsel on civil, criminal, and ethical matters.

ACCIDENT and MALPRACTICE CLAIMS

Since 1983, Attorney Ron Murphy has helped thousands of people obtain justice in the form of money damages and compensation for injuries and losses suffered as a result of negligence and carelessness.

Some sample recoveries or verdicts obtained for injured clients include:

$4,000,000 for a Bristol man killed in a Plainville car accident in a claim under Connecticut General Statute § 30-102, Connecticut's Dram Shop statute. In such a liquor liability claim, a server of alcohol is responsible for any injuries caused by an intoxicated person if that person was served alcohol while intoxicated. In this case, the decedent and a friend had been drinking at the defendant's bar. They both got drunk. While driving home, the friend caused a serious motor vehicle accident resulting in the death of our client. Unfortunately, there is a statutory limit of $250,000 in all dram shop claims. The jury was not told of this cap however before returning a verdict that included $3,829,000 for loss of non-economic damages and $131,000 for loss of economic damages.

$3,350,000 in a Hartford County medical malpractice claim against surgeons and physicians who failed to timely recognize and treat an infection that arose after an Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography (“ERCP”) resulting in the death of a Farmington woman from sepsis and other medical problems;

$2,200,000 in a Hartford medical malpractice case against a hospital, emergency room doctor, and a psychiatrist for the Estate of a young boy from Windham County who died because doctors failed to diagnose his diabetes;

$1,950,000 in a medical negligence claim for the Estate of a New Haven County man whose heart illness was not properly diagnosed by health care providers;

$1,865,000 for a young girl from Bristol who was a passenger in a car hit by a drunk driver in Hebron in Tolland County;

$1,400,000 for the Estate of a 4 year old boy who died as a result of a nurse's negligence;

$1,100,000 for the Estate of woman from New Britain whose medical illness of necrotizing faciitis was not properly diagnosed by an emergency room doctor in a Hartford County hospital;

$800,000 for a young woman from Bristol who suffered facial scars and other serious injury in an auto accident in Hebron;

$780,000 for a medical negligence claim against a Hartford orthopedic surgeon on behalf of a Berlin man injured during arthroscopic shoulder surgery;

$735,000 for a Plainville man who developed a serious infection and sepsis after a general surgeon had perforated the bowel during a hernia repair operation and failed to notice the perforation before closing the surgical opening;

$700,000 for a Killingworth woman injured in a car collision on I-91 in Cromwell;

$690,000 for a man who suffered electrical injuries in a Plymouth factory when a defective extension cord came in contact with metal beams;

$690,000 for a Bristol woman who suffered a broken hip and broken ankle in a car accident;

$600,000 for an elderly woman injured in a car accident on Route 44 in New Hartford;

$575,000 for an eighty-one year old Massachusetts man who suffered broken legs when hit by a drunk driver in Norwich;

$500,000 for a New Britain company that lost money because of a Hartford law firm's legal malpractice in failing to file appropriate documents related to a pension plan;

$400,000 for an elderly Canton woman who suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung, and emotional distress in an auto accident in Newington;

$365,000 in a medical malpractice claim for a New Hartford man whose heart attack was not treated properly by ambulance attendants (EMT's and paramedic);

$330,000 for a woman who suffered a broken ankle (broke talus bone) in car accident caused by a drunk driver in Somers;

$300,000 for an Avon woman whose sinus cancer was not diagnosed by her otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor) in a timely manner;

$276,000 for a twenty-seven year old woman who suffered a broken hip in a car accident in Unionville;

$250,000 in a Hartford County legal malpractice claim for a young man from Torrington who had been wrongfully convicted of assault with a deadly weapon because of his criminal defense lawyer's negligence and conflict of interest during a criminal trial in West Hartford;

$225,000 in a medical malpractice claim for an eighty-one year old Massachusetts woman whose eye was injured during the administration of anesthesia before glaucoma surgery;

$200,000 in a Hartford medical negligence case for a three year old girl from Avon injured during the administration of anesthesia during heart surgery;

$150,000 for a young man who suffered a broken leg in a car accident;

$125,000 for a Hartford woman whose federal civil rights were violated by a city police department;

$100,000 in a dog bite case for a six-year old girl from Bristol bitten in the face by a Rottweiller - Shepard mix. This is a short list of sample recoveries obtained for injured clients.

Attorney Murphy is a designated "SuperLawyer" in Connecticut as  chosen by the publishers "Law and Politics." *  He also has been "selected as one of The American Trial Lawyer's Association's Top 100 Trial Lawyers" in Connecticut.**  He is also a (former) Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate as certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (with recertification in process). He practices in the area of Accident, Injury and Malpractice Litigation. He is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum; a graduate of the Trial Lawyers College and currently on its teaching staff; a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America; the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association (Board of Governors 2005 to present); and the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys.

His relevant publications in this area include: "Medical Malpractice Claims - Connecticut Action and Remedies - Tort Law," Butterworth Publishing (1993); "Advanced Trial Advocacy for Plaintiffs," National Business Institute (2004); "Taking Depositions in Accident and Malpractice Cases: A Guide for Plaintiff's Lawyers," Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association (2005); and his relevant presentations in this area include: "Deposition Strategies Seminar," Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association (2005); "Advanced Trial Advocacy in Connecticut," National Business Institute (2004). Attorney Murphy is a Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate; and a former certified Emergency Medical Technician; and has been trained in Auto Accident Reconstruction.

CRIMINAL DEFENSE - STATE AND FEDERAL

Since 1983, Attorney Ron Murphy has successfully defended thousands of cases in state and federal criminal court. 

Attorney Murphy is listed in "The Best Lawyers in America" in the areas of Criminal Defense; is a designated "SuperLawyer" in Connecticut as  chosen by the publishers "Law and Politics" *; a 1990 graduate of the National Criminal Defense College; and a member of the following professional organizations dedicated to criminal defense: National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (President 2000-2001); and the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Some of Atty. Murphy's criminal defense cases have included:

acquittal for a car dealership bookkeeper after 7 weeks of trial in Hartford in Connecticut's first federal money laundering prosecution; acquittal after 8 weeks of trial in a multi-defendant drug prosecution in which the client was accused of being part of a crack cocaine distribution conspiracy in Hartford; acquittal of a Hartford man accused of participating in a West Hartford armed robbery in Hartford Superior Court; acquittal of a professional truck driver accused of drunk driving; acquittal of a young insurance professional accused of DUI.

And while acquittals were not obtained in the following cases, the results were excellent for the client: 19 months in prison for Middlesex County man who plead guilty to armed bank robbery and burglary charges; 18 months in prison for a Hartford County man who plead guilty to embezzlement of 1.9 million dollars from a major Connecticut insurance company; after first degree murder trial began arising from the execution of a state witness in an arson case in Litchfield County, effective sentence of 7 years for Manslaughter First Degree; after federal white collar trial began, no jail time for West Hartford real estate and business executive accused of bank fraud in the amount of $7 million dollars; after federal civil rights violation trial began for a Hartford police officer accused of raping a prostitute at gunpoint, a sentence of 4 months in halfway house after a plea to a reduced charge of giving a false statement to federal investigators; no jail time and one day probation for a Simsbury man charged with criminal negligent homicide with a firearm arising from the accidental shooting and killing of his roommate with a pistol; no jail time for young Farmington Valley woman charged with tampering with evidence and illegal sale and possession of drugs after a friend died in her apartment from heroin overdose and police informants made undercover purchases from her condominium. Also, Attorney Murphy was both trial and appellate counsel in State v. Miller, a leading case in Connecticut law expanding the rights of citizens under the Connecticut Constitution.

Atty. Murphy's relevant publications in the area of Connecticut Criminal Defense include: "Ethical Considerations in Criminal Defense," National Business Institute, 1996; "Taking the Criminal Case to Trial," National Business Institute, 1996; and his relevant presentations in this area include: "Driving Under the Influence: Dealing with the New Laws and Regulations," Hartford County Bar Association (1993); "The Many Changes in State and Federal Criminal Law," Hartford County Bar Association (1995); "Strategies in Defending DUI Cases," National Business Institute (1996); "Criminal Defense Litigation in Connecticut," National Business Institute (1996); "Considerations of Ethics and Law for Criminal Defense Retainers," Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association (2001); "Voir Dire for Criminal Defense," National Business Institute (2006).

GRIEVANCE DEFENSE

Since 1983, Attorney Ron Murphy has successfully defended some of Connecticut's most prominent members of the Bar (as no one is above being accused of violating the Rules of Professional Conduct). When defending lawyers accused of misconduct, Attorney Murphy draws on his experience and expertise from having been an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he taught Professional Responsibility and Legal Ethics (and where he currently teaches Trial Advocacy); his ongoing active memberships with the Connecticut Bar Association's two committees in this area: the Committee on Professional Ethics, and the Professional Discipline Committee; his extensive criminal and civil trial experience; and on his daily experience of being an owner and manager of a successful and busy law practice with associates and employees. Attorney Murphy is routinely consulted by members of the Connecticut Bar on issues of legal ethics and professional discipline.

His relevant publications in this area include: "Ethical Considerations in Criminal Defense," National Business Institute, 1996; "Grievance Defense: Should You Respond on the Merits at the Local Panel?" Connecticut Law Tribune, 1998; "Protect Yourself Against Claims by Prospective Clients With Letters of Declination," Connecticut Law Tribune, 2000; "Ethical, Legal, and Practical Considerations of Retainer Agreements," Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, 2001; "Lawyer Advertising and Solicitation in Connecticut," National Business Institute 2002; and his relevant presentations in this area include: "Legal Ethics and Advertising," Connecticut Bar Association (2001); "Considerations of Ethics and Law for Criminal Defense Retainers," Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association (2001); "Practical Legal Ethics in Connecticut," National Business Institute (2002); "Ethics and Trial Lawyers," Connecticut Bar Association (2003); "The Attorney Discipline Process - How to Best Deal with the New Rules, New People, and New Penalties," Connecticut Bar Association (2005). In addition, Attorney Murphy was an appointed member of the 1998 Task Force on Grievance Procedures.

Advocates Software LLC

Attorney Murphy is also the founder and owner of Advocates Software LLC. Drawing on his extensive experience as a trial lawyer and as the owner and manager of Advocates Law Firm, and as an expert in legal ethics and professional responsibility, Attorney Murphy has written a series of databases based on FileMaker Pro used to run small law offices that specialize in litigation, such as Advocates Law Firm. This software, currently in the beta stage, will eventually be marketed under the name of LitigationSoftware.com.

*  Only 5% of all lawyers in Connecticut can be designated a SuperLawyer. Atty. Murphy has been so designated each year the list has been created in Connecticut, including the current year.

For information on how "Law and Politics chooses who is designated a SuperLawyer, go to the SuperLawyers website at : http://superlawyers.com/about/selection_process.html

**  Only 100 lawyers in each state are selected to join The American Trial Lawyers Association. For information on how The American Trial Lawyers Association selects its "Top 100 Trial Lawyers," here are the FAQ's from its website (as of 4/1/09):

Q: What attorneys qualify for invitation to join The American Trial Lawyers Association?

A: Only the top civil plaintiff trial lawyers or criminal defense attorneys who are actively involved in trial practice or attorneys involved in the management of substantial personal injury or criminal defense law firms are evaluated for invitation.

Trial lawyers are evaluated to determine if they are among The Top 100 Trial Attorneys in their respective states during the pending year of evaluation. (Membership is not honorary, nor is it stagnant, i.e. each year the attorneys are re-evaluated to determine whether their activity and accomplishments are such to qualify them for invitation).

 

Q: How are members selected?

A: Members of The Association are carefully screened prior to receiving an invitation for membership. The criteria used in the vetting and evaluation process includes but is not limited to the following:

• Reputation among peers, the judiciary, and the public
• The previous years achievements and verdicts as a trial lawyer (civil or criminal defense)
• Jury Verdict and Settlement research
• Board Certification as Trial Specialist
• Nominations from leading trial lawyers and/or The Association's Executive Committee
• Nominations from State and Federal Judges
• Leadership and Membership in National and State trial lawyer organizations
• Rankings and ratings of the attorney by established organizations

These Criteria are applied by a leading University’s Trial Advocacy Program with research assistants performing independent evaluations of each lawyer as part of the selection process.

Q: Who is involved in the selection process?

A: Selection and supervision of the invitation process is handled by The Association's leadership and Executive Committee. The independent research supporting an attorney’s qualifications and the recommendation for invitation is handled by a nationally recognized law school at a major university.