Celebrating Murphy Falcon & Murphy Ranking #14 on BBJ’s 2021 Largest Minority Owned Businesses in Greater Baltimore

The Baltimore Business Journal has released the 2021 list of top minority-owned companies in the Baltimore area. Murphy Falcon & Murphy is proud to celebrate its long legacy as a minority owned business and continues to push the importance of diversity. The Murphy family is dedicated to the Baltimore community with over 70 years of service.

The Murphy firm is the oldest Black- and Hispanic-owned law firm in the country and was founded by Billy’s father Judge William H. “Bill” Murphy, Sr. in 1947. Like his father, who was the first black lawyer in Maryland history to represent a black man in a death penalty case, was brave enough to represent Alger Hiss and members of the Communist Party during the dark days of the McCarthy era, and was respected enough to win a challenge election to the District Court of Maryland in November, 1970, where he served with distinction for 34 years, Billy’s first love was criminal law.

After joining his father in February, 1970, Billy’s first client was the Black Panther Party; and his first career cross-examinations were Edwin Tully,  the Special Agent in charge of the Maryland FBI, and the notoriously racist Baltimore city police chief Donald Pomerleau.

During his first 10 years as a lawyer, Billy quickly developed the largest criminal law practice in Maryland, trying hundreds of criminal jury and bench trials literally back-to-back and winning an astounding 91% of them.

Along the way, he won the largest police brutality verdict in history of Maryland in 1978 and the largest medical malpractice verdict in the history of Maryland in 1979.

Because of Billy’s unprecedented success in numerous headline cases that garnered local and national attention and his progressive politics that transcended race, a coalition of blacks and progressive whites propelled him to unseat an incumbent judge in a challenge election to the Circuit Court for Baltimore City in November, 1980, where he served as a judge until 1983. That year, at the behest of black community leaders and elected officials who wanted him to be Baltimore’s first black mayor, he resigned to run against William Donald Schaefer, one the most popular mayors in Baltimore history; and after he was defeated, he resumed private practice and the helm of his firm in 1984.

Hassan Murphy has served as the managing partner of Murphy, Falcon & Murphy since 1999, and develops the strategic vision that powers the firm’s growth. Hassan Murphy learned the values of determination, perseverance, and humility from his family, principles that have served him well, both in life and in the courtroom.

Murphy Falcon & Murphy has the strength of diversity and the drive for justice on its side. Murphy Falcon & Murphy believes that the firm’s collective experience makes better lawyers. The firm’s diversity helps better understand and relate to clients, as well as appreciate important subtleties that opponents often ignore. The Murphy Firm is delighted in the BBJ’s recognition.