Manatt Enhances National Litigation and Appellate Capabilities With Preeminent Trial Lawyers in Boston

Joan Lukey and Marty Murphy bring unmatched trial and appellate experience to Manatt’s national, cross-industry litigation team

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, a multidisciplinary, integrated professional services firm, announced today that Partners Joan A. Lukey and Martin (Marty) F. Murphy have joined the Firm’s Trial, White Collar and Investigations practice in Boston. Lukey and Murphy have extensively represented high-profile clients in some of the most sophisticated and industry-defining cases of the past decade involving health care, life sciences, higher education, entertainment, securities, white collar and employment, among others.

“Joan and Marty are two incredibly respected and well-known lawyers throughout the complex civil, commercial and criminal litigation landscapes, both in Boston and nationwide,” said Donna L. Wilson, Manatt’s CEO and Managing Partner. “Their impressive industry experience litigating and trying highly publicized cases, as well as resolving sensitive matters quickly and discreetly, makes them invaluable additions to our already exceptional trial powerhouse team. We pride ourselves on the depth of our trial successes, and Joan and Marty are unparalleled first-chair trial lawyers with an affinity for collaboration and teamwork, which are hallmarks of Manatt.”

A true legal pioneer, Lukey has more than three decades of experience successfully representing clients in high-impact commercial litigation, and has established herself as a go-to trial lawyer for individuals and major corporations in Boston and across the country. She has tried more than 100 cases to jury verdict, myriad bench trials and arbitrations in all aspects of business disputes, and has argued approximately 60 federal and state appeals. Lukey has also represented clients in various personal injury, employment and First Amendment matters.

Murphy, whom The Boston Globe has called “one of the most sought-after lawyers in town,” is a trusted negotiator, advocate and counselor both inside and outside the courtroom, helping clients navigate a wide range of high-stakes legal issues. A former federal and state prosecutor, Murphy represents senior corporate directors, companies, higher education institutions and other nonprofit organizations in civil litigation, criminal investigations and regulatory proceedings. He has tried more than 40 cases to completion before state and federal courts and arbitration panels, and has also argued more than a dozen appeals before the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Appeals Court. As adept as he is in court, Murphy has also resolved a number of hotly contested disputes on behalf of clients without ever stepping into a courtroom.

Lukey and Murphy regularly serve in leadership roles for associations and foundations aimed at legal excellence in Boston and across the nation. Both are active members of the American College of Trial Lawyers, with Lukey having served as the first woman to be elected president and is also currently president of the American College of Trial Lawyers Foundation. Additionally, they have each served as president of the Boston Bar Association. Further, Murphy currently serves as trustee of the Massachusetts American Civil Liberties Foundation, and Lukey is an elected fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers as well as chair of the Dean’s Advisory Board at Boston College Law School.

Due to their countless contributions to the legal industry and their impressive client work, both Lukey and Murphy are regularly recognized by publications and organizations such as Chambers USA, BTI Consulting and Legal 500, among others. Benchmark Litigation has also regularly named Lukey as one of the top female litigators nationally and as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer for the last seven consecutive years.

While they are joining Manatt from separate firms, Lukey and Murphy are longtime friends and colleagues who have experience litigating on both sides of the aisle. At their prior firms, they also held leadership roles with Lukey as co-chair of her previous firm’s Complex Trial and Appellate Litigation practice and Murphy as co-chair of his previous firm’s Litigation Department. Now, as partners in Manatt’s Trial, White Collar and Investigations practice, they will work closely with each other and the Boston team, including office partner Scott T. Lashway, to further grow the Firm’s Boston presence.

“Manatt’s ability to connect Boston with the core innovation hubs across California and throughout the Midwest and East Coast brings many synergies to both Massachusetts’ economy and our respective practices,” said Lukey. “I am also drawn to its policy, regulatory, business consulting and litigation excellence as well as its unyielding entrepreneurial spirit.”

“I look forward to working alongside Donna, Joan, Scott and others to help build Manatt’s Boston footprint and expand its already impressive national litigation practice,” said Murphy. “This is a Firm unlike any other, fueled by its professional services model and commitment to collaboration, innovation, pro bono, diversity and deep understanding of the industries in which its clients operate. Manatt is truly a category of one.”

Lukey and Murphy join a growing roster of Manatt legal and consulting professionals in Boston, including the recent arrivals of national advisor and former health care executive Dr. Troyen (Troy) A. Brennan as well as Cynthia Bero, senior advisor and former vice president of information systems at Mass General Brigham. Manatt’s cross-industry litigation bench, led by Partner Naeun Rim, has also been steadily growing in recent years, as seen with the arrivals of Consumer Protection Partner Bezalel (Bez) Stern, Manatt Entertainment Partners Nathaniel (Nat) Bach and Sarah Moses, Antitrust Partners Stephen Libowsky and David Reichenberg, Intellectual Property Litigation Partner Timothy Lohse, and Manatt Health Partner Megan Thibert-Ind. This year, Manatt has additionally welcomed Privacy and Data Security Partner Paul H. Luehr, Land Use Partner Fernando Villa, Government and Regulatory Partner Cassie Prugh, Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement Counsel Sherli Furst, and in Manatt Health, Partner Nicholas (Nick) Bath Jr., Senior Advisor Shelli Silver, Counsel Julia Smith and Director Tracy A. Massel.

Lukey received her J.D. from Boston College Law School, cum laude, Order of the Coif and her B.A. from Smith College, magna cum laude. Murphy received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, cum laude, and his A.B. from Princeton University, summa cum laude.

About Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, is a leading professional services firm, providing integrated legal and consulting services to a global client base. With offices strategically located in California (Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco, Sacramento and Silicon Valley), New York (New York City and Albany), Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Boston, the Firm represents sophisticated clients—including Fortune 500, middle-market and emerging companies—across a range of industry sectors such as health care; financial services; entertainment; digital and technology; and energy, environmental and real estate. For more information, visit www.manatt.com.

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