Paul Murphy is a trial attorney whose practice focuses on representing individuals and entities in government investigations, criminal prosecutions, internal investigations, and complex civil litigation. Mr. Murphy has represented directors and officers, executives, fund managers, entrepreneurs, chief compliance officers, medical professionals and other professionals in connection with federal criminal prosecutions and investigations, as well as regulatory enforcement matters involving the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other government agencies. He also has skillfully navigated clients through high-stakes internal investigations. Mr. Murphy was recognized by Lawdragon in 2025 as one of its “500 Leading Litigators in America.”
Mr. Murphy has substantial experience in matters involving allegations of securities and commodities fraud, including accounting fraud schemes and insider trading, health care fraud, visa fraud, public corruption, and a variety of matters involving corporate malfeasance. He has deep experience in cross-border investigations and prosecutions involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, international fraud schemes, and violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act from his more than 14 years of experience as a federal prosecutor. Mr. Murphy is an experienced and highly effective trial lawyer, having conducted numerous trials in federal criminal and civil cases. He advocates on behalf of his clients with a keen sense of discretion and an appreciation of the importance of steering clients through difficult situations without any charges being filed.
Mr. Murphy’s representative cases and matters have included:
Health Care Fraud: Co-counsel in representation of entrepreneur initially charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, health care fraud, Anti-Kickback Statute violations, and money laundering offenses; client pled guilty to a single, narrow charge of transacting in criminal proceeds and received a sentence of supervised release with no prison time.
Securities Fraud: Co-counsel at trial of former hedge fund executive charged with an alleged securities fraud scheme; client was acquitted on the central charge and received a non-custodial sentence.
Corporate Visa Fraud: Represented corporate director and CEO initially charged with felony visa fraud scheme relating to an alleged illegal scheme to obtain visas for company employees; after conducting an extensive investigation, Mr. Murphy negotiated a disposition to a low-level misdemeanor offense that resulted in a non-custodial sentence of probation.
Internal Investigations: Represented director of several major corporations in connection with internal investigations into allegations of misconduct; no action taken.
Securities/Commodities Fraud: Represented former Chief Compliance Officer of major financial institution in connection with criminal investigation by the Department of Justice and a parallel regulatory investigation; no action taken against client.
Government Contracting Fraud: Represented CEO and company against allegations of fraudulent billing scheme in connection with a government contract; no action taken against CEO; corporation reached a disposition and paid a fine.
Union Benefit Plan Kickbacks/Fraud: Represented business owner and union trustee in connection with a Department of Justice investigation into the alleged payment of kickbacks to the administrator of union benefit plans; no action taken against client.
Mr. Murphy’s civil litigation experience has included the successful representation at trial of a major real estate developer in a federal case against publicly traded company. He also has represented a publicly traded medical device manufacturer and a major insurance carrier in qui tam actions filed under the False Claims Act alleging fraud in connection with government healthcare programs. Mr. Murphy’s experience in civil litigation includes work on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. He has defended a foreign telecom company in an international unfair competition case, a domestic company in a high-stakes civil RICO case, and a major insurer and its directors in connection with a fraudulent transfer case. He also has represented executives and directors in connection with matters relating to Title IX violations and workplace misconduct, and he and his co-counsel successfully obtained a multi-million dollar judgment on behalf of a victim for breach of fiduciary duty and conversion.
From 2014 to 2019, Mr. Murphy served in the U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, where he became the Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit. He worked for the previous nine years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, where he served as Deputy Chief of the Financial and Public Corruption Unit. His work in both offices included securities fraud, tax evasion, wire fraud, market manipulation schemes, investment adviser fraud, commodities fraud, FCPA violations, international bank fraud schemes, public corruption and money laundering. As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Murphy conducted and supervised major white collar criminal prosecutions involving an array of complex business crimes at publicly traded companies, hedge funds, and financial institutions. He led the investigation and prosecution of founders and C-suite executives of a publicly traded company in connection with an accounting fraud scheme, as well as the investigation and prosecution of a massive fraud scheme by a hedge fund manager paying kickbacks to foreign officials. Mr. Murphy joined the Department of Justice days after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, working on international terrorism investigations.
Mr. Murphy began his career as a law clerk for the Honorable Joseph M. McLaughlin of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and then was an associate at Williams & Connolly LLP. Most recently, he was a partner at a boutique firm in New York. Mr. Murphy graduated from St. John’s University School of Law cum laude, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review, and received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University.