Ron Murphy

• Licensed to Practice Law in Connecticut (1983) and Massachusetts (1985);
• 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);
• Highest rating possible from other lawyers for legal ability and professional ethics (A-V Martindale-Hubbell™ Rating);
• Designated Connecticut "SuperLawyer" in the areas of Plaintiff's Personal Injury, Plaintiff's Medical Malpractice, and Criminal Defense as chosen by the publishers "Law and Politics" *;
• Listed "Top 100 Trial Lawyers" in Connecticut by The American Trial Lawyers Association;
• Listed "The Best Lawyers in America" in Criminal Defense;
• Board Certification by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Civil Trial Advocate (with recertification pending);
• Staff Instructor at 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;
• Faculty Instructor for 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 lawyers and advocates;
• Former Emergency Medical Technician as certified by the State of Connecticut;
• Author "Medical Malpractice Claims - Connecticut Action & Remedies-Tort Law," Butterworth Publishing (1993);
• Member, Million Dollar Advocates Forum;
• Trained in "Collision Analysis for the Medical Practitioner" by Texas A&M University Engineering Extension Service (1998);
• Graduate, Trial Lawyers College (1995);
• Graduate, National Criminal Defense College (1990);
• Member, American Bar Association (Sections: Litigation, Criminal Justice, Professional Responsibility, Law Practice Management); Connecticut Bar Association (Professional Ethics Committee; Professional Discipline Committee); Massachusetts Bar Association; American Association for Justice; The American Trial Lawyers Association; Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association (Board of Governors, 2004-present); Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys; National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (President, 2000-01); Massachusetts Criminal Defense Lawyers Association;
• Regularly asked by other lawyers for his advice and counsel on civil, criminal, trial, and ethical matters.

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:

• $5,000,000 in a medical malpractice case against an ob-gyn surgeon for a Trumbull woman who suffered serious injuries during a laparoscopic hysterectomy;
• $4,000,000 jury verdict in New Britain (a record) for a Bristol man killed in a Plainville car accident. This was a dram shop claim under Connecticut General Statute §30-102 in which we claimed a bar served alcohol to an already intoxicated person. The bar denied liability and offered to settle the case for $1.00. This $4,000,000 verdict was the largest verdict ever recorded in Connecticut in a dram shop claim;
• $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 against a hospital emergency room that failed to diagnose a bloodstream infection from streptococcus pneumonia, which then progressed into acute endocarditis (damage to the heart valves) resulting in death;
• $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;
• $1,850,000 in a legal malpractice claim and attorney's fee dispute for a Fairfield County family arising from an auto accident in which a minor suffered traumatic brain damage;
• $1,725,000 in a medical malpractice claim for the Estate of a New Britain man who died from a perforated duodenum that occurred during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal);
• $1,400,000 in a medical negligence claim for the Estate of a 4 year old boy from East Hartford who died as a result of a nurse's negligence acting as a home health aide;
• $1,300,000 in a medical malpractice case against an orthopedic surgery for a Middlesex County man who suffered serious injuries during neck surgery (a cervical hemi-laminectomy);
• $1,300,000 in a Tolland medical malpractice claim against an anesthesiologist and hospital for a Windham man injured during colon resection surgery;
• $1,100,000 in a New Britain medical malpractice claim for the Estate of woman whose medical illness of necrotizing faciitis was not properly diagnosed by an emergency room doctor in a Hartford County hospital leading to overwhelming sepsis and her death;
• $1,000,000 in a Middletown auto accident lawsuit for the Estate of a gentleman from Old Lyme who was killed in a collision with a tractor trailer on I-95 in Guilford, CT;
• $900,000 for the Estate of a middle aged woman from Old Saybrook who died in a car accident in Vermont when a distracted driver lost control of his Jeep and went off the road causing the vehicle to rollover;
• $850,000 for a medical negligence claim against a Hartford orthopedic surgeon on behalf of a Berlin man who was injured during an arthroscopic shoulder surgery when the surgeon negligently cut the clavicle and used distilled water instead of saline solution, resulting in death of tissue and temporary kidney failure;
• $800,000 in a car accident case for a young woman from Bristol who suffered facial scars and other injuries in an intersection collision in which the defendant t-boned our client's car;
• $790,000 for a Greenwich woman in a legal malpractice claim against a divorce lawyer who failed to obtain an adequate divorce settlement and who failed to properly handle post-judgment motions regarding visitation;
• $735,000 for a Plainville man who developed a serious infection and sepsis after a general surgeon perforated the bowel during a hernia repair operation and failed to notice the perforation before closing the surgical opening;
• $700,000 in a Hartford lawsuit for a Killingworth woman injured in a car collision on I-91 in Cromwell;
• $690,000 for a Massachusetts truck driver who suffered shoulder injuries when he tripped and fell over a curb in a parking lot with inadequate lighting;
• $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;
• $645,000 in a medical malpractice claim against emergency room doctors and nurses for the Estate of a young man from Massachusetts who died from a pulmonary embolism while waiting for treatment;
• $600,000 in a Hartford lawsuit for an elderly woman from Canton 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 in a legal malpractice lawsuit for a New Britain company that lost money because of a Hartford law firm's legal negligence in failing to file appropriate documents related to a pension plan;
• $435,000 in an auto accident case for an East Granby man who suffered a broken leg in an East Granby collision caused by the other driver's distracted driving. This recovery consisted of $100,000 (policy limits) from the driver's insurance carrier and the balance obtained through an underinsured motorist claim.
• $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 in a Tolland Superior Court lawsuit for a woman who suffered a broken ankle (talus bone) in car accident caused by a drunk driver in Somers;
• $300,000 in a Hartford medical malpractice claim for an Avon woman whose sinus cancer was not diagnosed by her otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor) in a timely manner;
• $300,000 in a Stamford legal malpractice claim against a divorce lawyer for a Greenwich woman who received an inadequate divorce settlement;
• $300,000 in a legal malpractice lawsuit against a Hartford law firm that failed to properly prosecute a medical malpractice claim;
• $287,500 in an auto accident case for a Canton man who suffered a broken femur in a head on collision. The insurance company denied the claim until we proved our client had swerved in response to the other driver swerving into his lane first;
• $287,000 in a legal malpractice claim against a Hartford law firm that failed to properly file a claim for a construction company against the State of Connecticut;
• $280,000 in a legal malpractice claim for a Southbury woman who had been injured in a Danbury car accident and her first lawyer failed to properly investigate how much underinsured motorist insurance was available for the claim;
• $276,000 for a twenty-seven year old woman who suffered a broken hip in a car accident in Unionville;
• $270,000 (policy limits) in a car accident case in Preston for a Coventry man who suffered a fractured hip when the other driver crossed a double yellow line;
• $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;
• $207,500 in a car accident case for an Avon woman injured in a Farmington car accident on I-84 when the driver lost control on an icy road and hit a guardrail;
• $200,000 (policy limits) in a car accident case for an Andover man injured in a Manchester collison in which one of the injuries was tinnitus;
• $200,000 (policy limits) in a car accident case for a Cromwell man who suffered a broken leg when the other driver failed to yield the right of way at an intersection;
• $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;
• $135,000 in an inadequate security and assault case for a young man from Old Lyme injured in a bar fight in Hartford;
• $125,000 in a dog bite case for a Springfield man bitten by a pit bull on his hand and forearm while at a dog pound;
• $125,000 for a Hartford woman whose federal civil rights were violated by a city police department;
• $100,000 (policy limits) in an auto collision claim for a former college basketball player from Bristol who suffered aggravation to pre-existing back conditions when the other driver crossed over into the wrong lane in Farmington;
• $100,000 (policy limits) for a Willimantic woman who suffered dental and facial injuries in a motorcycle accident in Mansfield;
• $100,000 (policy limits) 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 since 1983.

In addition to his Qualifications and Experience listed above, his relevant publications in area of accident and malpractice injury claims 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 these areas include: "Deposition Strategies Seminar," Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association (2005); "Advanced Trial Advocacy in Connecticut," National Business Institute (2004); "Dram Shop Claims," Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association (2011).

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; a 1990 graduate of the National Criminal Defense College; and a member of the 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:

• not guilty for a car dealership bookkeeper after 7 weeks of trial in United States District Court in Hartford in Connecticut's first federal money laundering prosecution;
• not guilty after 8 weeks of trial in Hartford Superior Court in a multi-defendant drug prosecution in which the client was accused of being part of a crack cocaine distribution conspiracy in Hartford;
• not guilty after jury trial in Hartford Superior Court for Hartford man accused of participating in a West Hartford armed robbery of a grocery store;
• not guilty after jury trial for professional truck driver accused of driving under the influence in West Hartford;
• not guilty after jury trial for an insurance executive from Hartford accused of DUI.
• And while acquittals were not obtained in the following cases, the results were excellent for the client:
• 19 months for Middlesex County man who plead guilty in New London Superior Court to armed bank robbery and burglary charges;
• 18 months in prison for a Simsbury man who plead guilty in United States District Court to embezzlement of 1.9 Million dollars from a major Connecticut insurance company;
• after Litchfield Superior Court trial began in first degree murder trial arising from the execution of a state witness in an arson case in Salisbury, effective sentence of 7 years for Manslaughter First Degree;
• after three days of trial in United States District Court in Hartford, no jail time for West Hartford real estate and business executive accused of a $7 Million bank fraud;
• after start of trial in United States District Court in New Haven for a Hartford Police Officer accused of federal civil rights violation for alleging 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 being prosecuted in Hartford Superior Court for 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 in Hartford Superior Court 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.
• 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).

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.

* 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.

** 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.