News Releases
September 08, 2020

Martin F. Murphy Begins Term as Boston Bar Association President

Press Release

Martin F. Murphy, a trial lawyer and partner at Foley Hoag LLP, where he represents companies, individuals, and educational institutions in criminal and civil cases, took office on September 1, 2020 for a one-year term as the President of the Boston Bar Association (BBA). 

“This is a time of unprecedented challenge for the bar and its members, as professionals and as citizens,” Murphy said. “The pandemic has placed an enormous strain on lawyers, clients, and the judicial system we all rely on. And it comes at a moment when lawyers—now more than ever—must meet the call to make the pursuit of racial justice a defining focus of our work, to defend the rule of law, to promote access to justice for all, and to protect the integrity of the democratic process.”

Murphy is a longtime BBA leader. He co-chaired the BBA’s Task Force on Wrongful Convictions—whose work led to the passage of the Massachusetts statute giving imprisoned individuals the right to DNA testing to challenge their convictions—and the BBA’s working groups on the death penalty and on criminal justice reform. He also chaired the Association’s Immigration and Covid-19 working groups. As the BBA’s President, he will also serve on the BBA’s Task Force on Ensuring Police Accountability.

Murphy previously served as the First Assistant District Attorney for Middlesex County and as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. He is a former Commissioner of the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission. He currently serves on the Board of the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the District of Massachusetts. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and serves on its national Board of Directors. 

He is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. The son of a Massachusetts State Police Detective Captain and a former Haverhill City Assessor, Murphy began his legal career as a law clerk for the late United States District Judge A. David Mazzone. He lives with his wife in South Boston. 

Murphy succeeds Christine M. Netski as the BBA’s President. Joining Murphy as BBA officers are:  President-Elect Deborah J. Manus, Vice President Chinh Pham, Treasurer Hannah L. Kilson, and Secretary Matthew V.P. McTygue

To learn more about the BBA, visit www.bostonbar.org. For more on Martin F. Murphy, check out his Presidential profile and connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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