Joseph T. Murphy - Chicago, IL

Joseph T. Murphy is a nationally recognized plaintiffs’ trial lawyer who represents individuals and families in complex, high-stakes personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, transportation, construction, and aviation litigation. A former federal and state prosecutor and a decorated U.S. Army Captain, Joe brings extensive litigation experience, disciplined preparation, and a strong public-service background to cases involving catastrophic injuries, loss, and government and corporate accountability.

With a track record of success in complex, high-stakes litigation, Joe has helped secure more than $114 million in major verdicts and settlements for individuals and families, including significant results in catastrophic injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and transportation cases. His work includes a $60 million settlement recovered in 2026 on behalf of a 31-year-old woman who was rendered a paraplegic in a crash caused by unsafe conditions within a highway road-construction zone on I55. The result followed years of complex litigation involving multiple contractors and entities responsible for the construction project.

His significant recoveries also include a $27 million settlement on behalf of a child who sustained serious and permanent neurological injuries in a birth-injury case and an $11 million settlement arising from a rear-end collision that killed a child and seriously injured two other occupants of the vehicle. These matters reflect the breadth of Joe’s practice and his experience representing individuals and families in cases involving catastrophic injuries and loss.

Joe leads Clifford Law Offices’ representation of victims of the November 2023 CTA Yellow Line crash, one of Chicago’s most significant public transportation cases. The litigation stems from a collision between a commuter train and snow-removal equipment near the Howard station that injured numerous passengers. Clifford Law Offices filed the first lawsuit arising from the crash and ultimately filed complaints on behalf of six injured passengers. Joe continues to pursue answers about the circumstances that led to the collision and issues surrounding CTA passenger safety.

In another high-profile matter involving government accountability, Joe represents a U.S. Army service member who was severely injured as a bystander during a May 23, 2026, shooting near a U.S. Secret Service checkpoint outside the White House in Washington, D.C. In July 2026, Joe and Clifford Law Offices filed a Notice of Claim against the U.S. Secret Service under the Federal Tort Claims Act while continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting and pursue answers and accountability from the federal government. The case has attracted national attention, including coverage by The Associated Press and ABC News.

His work extends to complex aviation litigation, including the federal litigation arising from the 2019 crash in Ethiopia of a Boeing 737 MAX jet. Clifford Law Offices represented nearly 70 families from 35 countries in the complex federal litigation against Boeing in Chicago.

That breadth of litigation experience is complemented by Joe’s background in state and federal prosecution and military service. Admitted to the Illinois bar in 2012, he began his career as a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney and later served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, prosecuting criminal matters in federal court.

As an attorney and Captain in the U.S. Army, Joe also served as Chief of Federal Litigation for the 101st Airborne Division while on active duty. He continued to serve as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve for nine years, and his military service continues to inform the preparation, composure, and sense of responsibility he brings to representing individuals and families in high-stakes litigation.

Joe’s work has earned recognition from leading legal organizations and publications. In 2025, he was invited to join The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 in the Civil Plaintiff category, an invitation-only organization that recognizes trial lawyers based on qualifications including professional reputation, leadership, influence, and public profile. He has also been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Aviation Law and Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, named to the Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation, and selected to Illinois Super Lawyers®. In 2022, The National Law Journal named him a Rising Star of the Plaintiffs Bar, and Law Bulletin Media selected him among its 40 Under Forty Illinois Attorneys to Watch.

Public service has defined Joe’s career since the start. Both of his parents are attorneys who devoted portions of their careers to providing legal assistance to people in need. His father, Patrick T. Murphy, is a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County and previously served for 25 years as the Cook County Public Guardian. His mother, Susan Murphy, served for several years as an attorney with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services.

Joe’s uncle, Michael Murphy, served as an appellate court judge in Cook County before his death in 2012, which occurred on the same day Joe passed the Illinois bar examination. Another uncle, Dave Donnersberger, also served as a Cook County Circuit Court judge. Altogether, Joe’s extended family includes more than 20 lawyers.

One of Joe’s greatest mentors is his grandfather, Tom Sitter, a highly decorated World War II veteran who pinned Joe’s Captain rank during his promotion ceremony. After the war, Sitter devoted much of his life to serving people at a homeless shelter, an example that influenced Joe’s decision to pursue a career centered on public service, military service, and advocacy for people facing serious injury and loss.

An active member of the legal profession, Joe has served as an investigator for the Chicago Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee since 2019. He was also elected to the Illinois State Bar Association Assembly in 2023.

He is a decorated Army Captain whose military honors include the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.

Joe earned his law degree from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts in history from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Some of Joe’s Notable Verdicts and Settlements Include:

• $60 million settlement on behalf of a 31-year-old woman who was rendered paraplegic in a crash caused by unsafe conditions within a highway road-construction zone.
• $27 million settlement on behalf of a child who sustained serious and permanent neurological injuries in a birth-injury case.
• $25 million settlement on behalf of the family of a young boy who died after he was struck by a driver.
• $11 million settlement arising from a rear-end collision that killed a child and seriously injured two other occupants of the vehicle.
• $10.2 million medical malpractice verdict on behalf of a 49-year-old man whose right leg was amputated following negligent medical care at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.