Former Appeals Court chief judge joins Dykema

Dykema announced this week the addition of the Hon. William B. Murphy to its Business Litigation Practice Group as a senior counsel in the firm’s Grand Rapids office. Murphy joins Dykema after serving on Michigan’s Court of Appeals for the past 30 years, including five years as chief judge of the Court, and three terms as the Court’s chief judge pro tem. Murphy has been one of the longest serving judges on the Michigan Court of Appeals since the Court’s inception.

Murphy is a former founding member of Murphy, Burns & McInerney, P.C., where he practiced from 1973 to 1988 before being appointed as a judge with the Michigan Court of Appeals. His practice focuses on business litigation matters, appeals, mediation and arbitration.

He has served and continues to serve numerous professional organizations and has held several leadership roles, including commissioner of the State Bar of Michigan, member of the State Bar’s Open Justice Commission, chair of the Judicial Tenure Commission, trustee of the State Bar Foundation, member of the Executive Committee and president of the Council on Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal, and various other Court of Appeals committees. The Michigan Supreme Court also appointed him to serve on the Judicial Executive Committee and Strategic Planning Committee for the Michigan Justice Project.

“Judge Murphy is extremely well-respected and has had an undeniable influence on the Michigan legal community,” said Peter Kellett, Dykema’s chairman and CEO. “We consider it an enormous honor that he decided to join Dykema.”

John Ferroli, managing member of Dykema’s Grand Rapids office, added, “Judge Murphy’s breadth and depth of experience with litigation, law, and the appellate process will be an immeasurable benefit not only for the firm’s clients, but for our attorneys as well. We’re excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from such an esteemed leader in the law.”

Murphy received a J.D., cum laude, from Wayne State University Law School and a B.A. from Michigan State University.