Stephen Murphy Named NYC Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers®

Thursday, August 19th, 2021

The firm is proud to announce that Partner Stephen Murphy has been selected as “Lawyer of the Year” in the 2022 edition of Best Lawyers®, for the category Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs in New York City. The awards are bestowed annually to one distinguished lawyer in each specific practice area and location.

Lawyer of the Year awards are a section of Best Lawyers®, one of the oldest and most prestigious attorney rating systems. The selection is based entirely on peer review, meaning that only attorneys who receive the best feedback from their contemporaries are awarded Lawyer of the Year. Mr. Murphy was chosen for this honor by his peers, other New York attorneys and judges. Only one lawyer in New York City, the most competitive area in the country, receives this award for a specific practice area. 

“It is an honor to receive any award when it is based on feedback from colleagues that you truly respect,” Mr. Murphy said. “Any individual recognition I receive is really a credit to the entire BOM team. I am grateful to the talented attorneys at the firm for their support and continuing dedication to our work. Equally important, I’d like to thank every BOM staff member; they work tirelessly on each and every case, and without them we would not be able to serve our clients successfully.”

Mr. Murphy has dedicated his career to fighting for clients who have been wronged and are in need of legal help. He began his career in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, where he prosecuted violent crimes and was known as a tough but fair prosecutor. Early on in his career at the DA’s office he was appointed to Brooklyn’s Homicide Bureau. During his time there, as the youngest attorney handling murder cases in New York City, Mr. Murphy successfully prosecuted several complex and prominent cases. Well-respected as a trial lawyer, he also served as an Adjunct Professor at St. John’s School of Law for nine years, teaching students about trial advocacy and helping create a nationally recognized trial advocacy program.

Since joining Block O’Toole & Murphy in 2005, Mr. Murphy has built up an impressive track record of results, consistently obtaining verdicts and settlements for clients that exceed $1 million. During his tenure with the firm he has been responsible for obtaining over $400,000,000 in results for his clients. This past year, he was also a lead attorney on the top three construction accident settlements in the entire Northeast, as reported by VerdictSearch. In 2016, Mr. Murphy was the lead trial lawyer on three of the top five largest results ($9,975,000, $7,400,000, and $5,500,000) obtained in New York State. 

Notably, along with Partner Daniel O’Toole, he was a lead attorney on a record-breaking $32,756,156 jury verdict for a Vietnam veteran who suffered massive brain damage and fell into a coma after he was violently struck by an intoxicated driver. This verdict was the largest reported non-medical malpractice verdict in Long Island’s history. This case was also quite emotional, as this innocent man’s life was forever changed as a result of the intoxicated driver’s negligence. Cases like these drive Mr. Murphy. 

“My entire career, I have been motivated to use the law to help those in need. It is extremely gratifying to have an opportunity to wake up for work every day and be able to do something that you love,” he said.

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