Nick Murphy

Nick Murphy

  • Of Counsel
  • Washington, DC

OVERVIEW

Nick is Of Counsel in Hausfeld’s Washington, D.C. He is an experienced investigative and trial attorney with significant first-chair trial experience and an extensive background in handling high­stakes criminal and civil matters. He is a former federal prosecutor who has successfully tried both jury and bench trials to guilty verdicts, including handling sensitive and high-profile federal matters on behalf of the United States to achieve racial and social justice and vindicate the rights of victims and impacted communities, including prosecuting hate crimes and police misconduct and RICO gang prosecutions.  Most recently he was of counsel at a large global law firm where he represented clients involved in litigation across a number of industries including cryptocurrency, technology and online platforms, FCPA and regulatory compliance.  Nick combines zealous advocacy, creativity, and a demonstrated expertise in handling high-stakes criminal and civil enforcement and litigation matters in his practice at Hausfeld.

Prior to representing clients in private practice, Nick served for 6 years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia's Alexandria Division, where he investigated and prosecuted violent crimes and civil rights crimes, including investigations involving the use of wire-taps and translating, decoding and interpreting surreptitious communications related to large-scale trafficking of firearms and narcotics. Nick also served as the Alexandria Division's Project Safe Neighborhood coordinator, which is a federal program devoted to reducing violent crime.

Prior to joining the USAO, Nick served for 7 years as an Honor's Program Trial Attorney in the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. He worked on criminal matters in the Criminal Section, focused on hate crimes and police misconduct, and worked on civil matters in the Educational Opportunities Section, focused on desegregation, Title IX equality, bullying and harassment, and the school to prison pipeline. Representative matters from his time at DOJ include the investigation of Dylann Roof for the murders of African-Americans at a church in Charleston, the investigation, prosecution, and conviction at trial of a sheriff's deputy for the use of excessive force on a detainee, and the investigation and entry of a consent decree with City of Philadelphia Public Schools to resolve bullying of Asian-American students at a local high school.

Nick received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Dartmouth College and his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he served as an editor on the Law Review. After law school, Nick clerked for the Honorable Petrese B. Tucker of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Working towards a diverse, equitable, and inclusive world is paramount to Nick who is an active member of our Racial Justice working group and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. He is also a frequent speaker on issues relating to civil rights and government investigations.

Clients

Nick represents clients seeking recoveries for antitrust and consumer protection violations in complex civil litigations.

Experience