Stephen J. Murphy

Stephen J. Murphy joined Block O’Toole & Murphy in 2005 and became a partner at the firm in 2008. Before joining the firm, he began his career working as a homicide prosecutor for the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office. He honed his skills in the criminal courtrooms in Brooklyn, prosecuting violent crimes and earning a reputation from the judiciary and his colleagues as a tough but fair prosecutor. Mr. Murphy is best known for his work in the courtroom. Currently, he handles a variety of personal injury cases but focuses on serious construction accidents and catastrophic injury trial work.Mr. Murphy's hard work and skill in the courtroom have earned him many accolades and respect from his colleagues, opponents, and judges. Most recently,Mr. Murphy was named “2022 New York City Lawyer of the Year” for the category of Plaintiff Personal Injury Litigation byBest Lawyers Magazine.Mr. Murphy has been described on Z100 Radio as a "legendary trial lawyer." He has been featured on Fox News Radio as one of "America's Premier Trial Lawyers" and was described in The New York Times as one of the "Top Attorneys in New York." He has regularly appeared on local and national media platforms as an expert commentator on civil and criminal cases and issues.Mr. Murphy has only spent 16 years in civil practice, but he has already garnered extremely impressive results for his clients. He regularly obtains verdicts and settlements that exceed $1 million. In the past 16 years, he has attained over $400,000,000 in results for his clients, and averaged well over $40,000,000 in settlements every year since 2013. Below are a few of Mr. Murphy’s standout results.2021: Top Three Construction Accident Results in New York StateMr. Murphy’s commitment to fight for hardworking, injured women and men in New York was evident in 2020 and 2021 whenVerdictSearchrecognized his efforts in their annual publication on top verdicts and settlements. Mr. Murphy was the lead attorney on the top three construction accident results in the entire Northeast.2016: Three of the Top Five Largest Results in New York StateMr. Murphy was the lead trial lawyer on the second ($9,975,000), third ($7,400,000) and fifth ($5,500,000) largest settlements in New York State in 2016, according to the New York Law Journal and the Jury Verdict Reporter. Mr. Murphy had more reported million dollar results in 2016 than any other attorney in New York.“The Good Samaritan Case”Mr. Murphy, along with fellow partner Daniel O'Toole, persuaded a Suffolk County jury to award a record-setting verdict of $32,756,156 to a 60-year-old veteran who was severely injured by an intoxicated driver in a traumatic brain injury case. The verdict is the largest negligence verdict ever in Long Island. In addition, the result was also recognized by the New York Law Journal as the second highest negligence verdict in New York State in 2007 and one of the top 100 verdicts that year for the entire United States.A few other notable results of Mr. Murphy’s include:$15,500,000 settlement for a client who sustained a traumatic brain injury$9,950,000 for a young woman who suffered an above-the-knee amputation after being struck by a van$7,500,000 from the City of New York in a pedestrian accident caseMr. Murphy has long been a fierce advocate on behalf of construction workers and their families. Some of the below results illustrate his commitment to obtaining well-deserved compensation for hard-working folks who have been hurt while trying to do their jobs.Mr. Murphy persuaded an insurance company to pay his client, a union sheet metal worker, $7,400,000 for back injuries he sustained in a construction site fallIn a wrongful death case, Mr. Murphy recovered $7,200,000 for the family of a man who died in an elevator fall while he was workingIn 2021, he successfully settled a case for $6,000,000 on behalf of a crane operator who fell on the job and sustained spine injuriesHe fought and recovered $5,500,000 for an injured electrician who sustained a brain injury after falling from an extension ladderOther Expertise and ExperienceMr. Murphy served as an adjunct professor of law for nine years at St. John's University School of Law. He taught students about trial advocacy and lectured on criminal and civil trial practice and evidence. He also served as an instructor for the school’s nationally regarded trial advocacy program. His students won national championships in trial competitions for a majority of the years Mr. Murphy was involved. In 2014, the St. John's School of Law honored Mr. Murphy with the P.T.A.I. Alumni Excellence Award.Mr. Murphy has shared his legal expertise in various media and publications. He has  appeared on Court TV, Z100 Radio, Fox Radio and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio as a guest host offering expert legal commentary. His work has been featured in The New York Times, New York Post, Newsday and New York Daily News. Mr. Murphy has also been published in The New York Law Journal for a series of columns that he co-authored with colleague David Scher concerning the laws that apply to construction accidents.Mr. Murphy is a proud member of the St. Jude Children's Hospital fundraising team, helping raise well over $4,000,000 for this worthy cause. In 2019, he received the “Chairperson of the Year'' award from St. Jude Children’s Hospital. He is also a dedicated supporter of the Frances Pope Memorial Foundation, an important charity that assists families with a child that has been diagnosed with a pediatric disease such as leukemia or cancer.Honors and AwardsRecipient ofBest Lawyers“2022 New York City Lawyer of the Year” Award for all Plaintiff Personal Injury Lawyers in New York CityNew York Super Lawyer, recognizing him as one of the top 5% of lawyers in the New York Metropolitan area, 2010 - 2022The National Trial Lawyer honored him as one of the top 100 trial lawyers in New York State, for the past 13 yearsNamed to the “Best Lawyers in America” list, 2013-2022Named to the Irish Legal 100, which recognizes the top Irish American lawyers in the United States, 2013-2016Recipient of the St. John's School of Law 2014 P.T.A.I. Alumni Excellence AwardMember of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, 2008-PresentRecipient of the Frances Pope Memorial Foundation “Man of the Year” Award, 2010Named “Volunteer of the Quarter” in 2014 by St. Jude Children's Research HospitalHonoree, Brehon Law Society, 2015Professional Associations and MembershipsNew York State Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Directors, 2008 - 2017New York State Trial Lawyers Association Partnership for Justice, Past Co-ChairmanNew York State Trial Lawyers Association, Member, Labor Law Committee, 2012 - PresentNew York State Bar AssociationBrooklyn Manhattan Trial Lawyers Association, Past PresidentThe Brehon Law Society, MemberNew York County Democratic Judicial Screening Panel, Panelist, 2012Kings County Democratic Judicial Screening Panel, Panelist, 2015