David E. Murphy
Senior AssociateDavid E. Murphy is a Senior Associate at McCandlish Lillard practicing litigation, including employment, business & commercial litigation, post-employment restrictive covenants, personal and business torts, breach of contract, defamation, severance review and analysis, and executive compensation and termination. ย David works primarily in the firmโs Fairfax Office, but represents clients in both state and Federal courts across Virginia and Washington D.C.
David has actively litigated matters from the intake stage through appeal since being admitted to the Virginia Bar in November 2016, and has significant courtroom experience as a trial lawyer and lead counsel in state and federal cases, as well as many successful settlements, mediations, and other pre-trial resolutions. ย In addition to litigating and trying cases with principals, David maintains a busy practice litigating cases as lead counsel.ย David has further written and argued countless motions before local Courts, along with writing multiple appellate briefs to the Virginia Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Davidโs professional recognitions include being named to The Best Lawyers in Americaยฎ (Employment Law โ Individuals; Litigation โ Labor and Employment) and to Best Virginia Elite Lawyer โ Litigation.ย David is also a Barrister at the George Mason Inn of Court. Prior to joining McCandlish, David worked as a Litigation Associate at local law firm Charlson Bredehoft Cohen Brown & Nadelhaft, P.C. from 2016-2023.
David is a Fairfax, Virginia native, and knew at the age of fourteen that he would spend his professional career litigating cases in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area.ย David received his B.A. degree from the University of Pittsburgh cum laude, and subsequently earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
When away from the office, David enjoys spending his time with his family and stays busy pursuing his passions of following professional and collegiate sports, snowboarding, golf, gardening, traveling, and the movies.
- Virginia Elite Lawyer – Litigation (2022-2023)
- Irish Legal 100
- Fairfax Bar Association
- Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (VTLA)
- Court Tour Program for students
- John C. Depp, II v. Amber Laura Heard (Fairfax, VA)
- N. Va. Kitchen Bath & Basement v. Ellis, 299 Va. 615 (2021) ($250,000 statutory racial harassment Judgment and full attorneyโs fees and costs award of $118,651, affirmed on appeal by Va. Supreme Court)
- N. Va. Kitchen Bath & Basement v. Ellis, 2018 Va. Cir. LEXIS 2721, 2018 Va. Cir. LEXIS 2673 (successfully obtained summary judgment and full defense attorneyโs fees sanctions ($25,900.74) for bad faith litigation under Va. Code ยง 8.01-271.1)
- JK Moving & Storage, Inc. v. Winmar Constr., Inc., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 194932 (E.D. Va. Nov. 13, 2018) (obtained full damages Judgment and full attorneyโs fees and costs award of $411,410.39)
Education
- 2016 J.D., The University of Wisconsin Law School
- 2012 B.A., The University of Pittsburgh
Practice Areas
Admissions
- Virginia
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
- District of Columbia
- United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- Wisconsin