Thomas J. Murphy is a partner in the Firm’s Litigation, Labor & Employment and Municipal & Public Entities practices.
Mr. Murphy has tried both jury and non-jury cases to completion in both State and Federal Courts. He has successfully defended police agencies and connected municipalities, National Grid, private corporations, and defendants in all aspects of defense litigation. He has also represented numerous clients in New York Family Courts and State Supreme Courts.
In 1992, Mr. Murphy argued the case of Bowen v. Niagara Mohawk before the Appellate Division in Rochester, New York, resulting in a seminal decision for the utility industry. It was unanimously held that electricity is a service and is not subject to strict liability standards.
In January of 2023, Mr. Murphy won a defense verdict in a jury trial in Supreme Court in Delaware County in a case titled Jane Doe 18021 v. Delaware County. This was a Child Victim Act case and is one of the few CVA cases tried to conclusion thus far in New York State.
Mr. Murphy is a United States Army Veteran and a retired Police Officer having served twenty years with the Syracuse Police Department. Mr. Murphy is also a longtime member of the Adjunct Faculty at Onondaga Community College, having taught courses in Criminal Law and Homicide Investigation.
Mr. Murphy was the recipient of the Onondaga County Bar Associations Distinguished Pro Bono Service Award for his work in the Pro Bono Divorce Clinic in the evening and Saturdays resulting in judgments of divorce for numerous indigent clients.
