Stroock Continues Expansion of Litigation Practice with Addition of Lewis F. Murphy

MIAMI, July 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Lewis F. Murphy has joined the national Litigation Practice Group of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP as a partner in the Miami office.  He joins recent additions Steven D. Atlee, a litigation partner in Los Angeles; Michael C. Keats, a litigation partner in New York; Laura E. Besvinick; a litigation partner in Miami; and Julie E. Nevins, a litigation special counsel in Miami.

Mr. Murphy's practice focuses on complex multidistrict and high-stakes commercial litigation.  He has extensive experience with securities and fiduciary duty litigation, class actions and derivative claims, proxy contests and corporate takeovers, as well as class actions for insurance retail sales fraud.

"Lew has an impressive skill set and legal acumen that will enhance Stroock's national litigation practice and the sophisticated services our lawyers provide to our clients," said Alan M. Klinger, Stroock's co-managing partner and co-chair of the Litigation Practice Group.  "We are strategically growing our litigation practice with the addition of attorneys in New York, Los Angeles and Miami."

Mr. Murphy has represented numerous special litigation committees, conducts internal investigations including Foreign Corrupt Practice Act investigations and advises on investigations by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation and Florida Attorney General into insurance sale practices.  Mr. Murphy has significant experience with closely held corporation disputes and handles both international hidden assets/probate proceedings and appellate cases.

"We are thrilled to have one of South Florida's leading litigators join our office," said James Sammataro, newly appointed managing partner of Stroock's Miami office.  "Lew possesses decades of experience, tremendous litigation instincts and courtroom savvy.  He is a perfect complement to our expanding litigation department."

Mr. Murphy has been recognized by Chambers USA as a leading individual for commercial litigation since 2008, by Best Lawyers in America in six litigation categories and by The Legal 500.  He was honored with the John Edward Smith Child Advocacy Award by Lawyers for Children America in 2013, the 2012 Best Lawyers (Miami) Lawyer of the Year for insurance law and the 2009 Best Lawyers (Miami) Lawyer of the Year for bet-the-company litigation.

"I am excited to join a firm with an exceptional group of litigators and a collaborative culture," said Mr. Murphy.  "I look forward to being a part of Stroock's continued expansion and working with a group I have known and respected in the market for many years."

Mr. Murphy joins Stroock from Squire Patton Boggs where he was a partner.  He served as a judicial clerk in the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits and currently serves as a pro bono attorney for at-risk juveniles with Lawyers for Children America, Inc., of which he is a board member.  He received his J.D., with high honors, from the University of Florida where he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Florida Law Review and received the Outstanding Graduate Award.  He received his B.S. from the United States Naval Academy and served as a Surface Warfare Officer on a destroyer in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and then on the staff for the Commander, U.S. Third Fleet.

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP is a law firm providing transactional, regulatory and litigation guidance to leading financial institutions, multinational corporations, investment funds and entrepreneurs in the U.S. and abroad.  Our emphasis on excellence and innovation has enabled us to maintain long-term relationships with our clients and made us one of the nation's leading law firms for almost 140 years.  Stroock's practice areas include capital markets/securities, commercial finance, mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, private equity, private funds, commodities and derivatives, employment law and benefits, energy and project finance, entertainment, environmental law, financial restructuring, financial services litigation, government relations, insurance, intellectual property, investment management, litigation, national security/CFIUS, personal client services, real estate, structured finance and tax. 

SOURCE Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP