James J. Murphy

Representative Matters:

• Secured summary judgment in favor of regional transportation agency in long-running litigation involving patrol officer’s Title VII claims alleging she was subjected to a hostile work environment and ostracized, demoted, suspended, and punished by her chain of command because of her race and gender and because she complained internally about discrimination and filed multiple EEOC charges. Watkins v. Washington Metro. Area Transit Authority, 2025 WL 2378027 (D.D.C. Aug. 15, 2025).
• Persuaded D.C. Circuit to dismiss plaintiff’s appeal of order dismissing his slander claims against former employer on grounds the alleged defamatory statement was not reasonably capable of defamatory meaning. Royall v. Hilliard, 2025 WL 1910681 (D.C. Cir. July 9, 2025)
• Obtained summary judgment for assisted living facility on former director’s Title VII claims that she was subjected to a racially hostile work environment and then placed on a performance improvement plan and discharged because of her race and for objecting to racist comments. Latture v. Priority Life Care, LLC, 2025 WL 947476 (D.D.C. March 28, 2025).
• Obtained order from federal court dismissing alleged whistleblower’s wrongful discharge and retaliation claims on grounds of 11th Amendment immunity and failure to state a claim under District of Columbia law. Sichani v. Washington Metro. Area Trans. Auth., 2023 WL 7279254 (D.D.C. 2023)
• Secured dismissal of constructive discharge claims and summary judgment on all remaining Title VII claims in case involving former maintenance supervisor’s allegations that his manager assigned him additional responsibilities, placed his physical safety in danger, threatened him with bodily injury, and constructively discharged him in reprisal for making an internal report to the employer’s EEO office about discriminatory conduct by the manager. Lopes v. Washington Metro. Area Transit Auth., 2023 WL 5619047 (D.D.C. 2023)

• Prevailed on behalf of software company after three-day arbitration on former sales executive’s claims that his PIP and termination for missing quota were a pretext for age and gender discrimination, and that he was entitled, under a theory of unjust enrichment, to commissions on sales in his territory that his replacement closed shortly after plaintiff’s discharge
• Won summary judgment in favor of defendant university on professor’s First Amendment, False Claims Act, and Title VII retaliation claims alleging that she was denied promotion and her annual faculty evaluation ratings were artificially suppressed because she spoke out against university initiatives, complained about the use of funds, and opposed faculty assignment practices. Harris v. Trustees of the University of the District of Columbia, 567 F. Supp. 3d 131 (D.D.C. 2021)
• Secured arbitration award in favor of U.S. Navy shipbuilder in four-day arbitration of former engineer’s Americans with Disabilities Act claims that his discharge for excessive internet usage constituted retaliation for seeking reasonable accommodations for his sleep apnea
• Obtained dismissal of former labor relations manager’s claims that employer wrongfully discharged her in violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act by terminating her for taking flexible leave to care for her child with special needs. Moskowitz v. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 2021 WL 6841843 (March 10, 2021)
• Persuaded federal court to dismiss purchasing representative’s Title VII and state civil rights claims alleging that defense contractor discriminated against her because of her race and gender by putting her on two performance improvement plans and then discharging her for “demonstrably false reasons.” Bender v. General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc., 2020 WL 4366049 (E.D. Mich. July 30, 2020)
• Convinced federal district court to dismiss security guard’s claims for discriminatory pay differential under the District of Columbia Human Rights Act on grounds of failure to exhaust administrative remedies. Henderson v. American Eagle Protective Services, 2020 WL 1493943 (D.D.C. March 26, 2020)
• Obtained voluntary stipulation of dismissal with prejudice of plaintiff’s Title VII and state law discrimination claims alleging that federal contractor removed him from federal contract because of his race and because he complained about harassment

Education

• J.D., cum laude, Catholic University School of Law, 
• A.B., College of the Holy Cross, 

Admission to Practice

• District of Columbia
• Massachusetts
• U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
• U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
• U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit

• ABA Section of Labor & Employment Law
• American Employment Law Council
• Law360, Aerospace & Defense Editorial Advisory Board (2017 – 2018)

• Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Federal Contracting 101: Government Dollars = Compliance Obligations + Oversight!” – San Diego – May 12, 2023
• Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive – “OFCCP O’clock: The Latest Updates for Federal Contractors” – Amelia Island – November 11, 2021
• Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Doing Business With the Government: An Update for Government Contractors” – Phoenix – May 10, 2018
• ACC National Capital Region, co-presenter – “Best Practices for Managing Social Media in the Workplace” – Tysons Corner – April 24, 2018
• ABA National Conference on Equal Employment Opportunity Law (Panelist) – “How to Avoid Ethical Landmines in Settlement” – New Orleans – April 1, 2017
• Ogletree Deakins Labor & Employment Counsel Exclusive – “Learning the Ropes: Top Issues for New In-House Counsel” – Colorado Springs – September 29, 2016
• ACC National Capital Region, Employment Law 101 Conference (Learning to “Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em”) (Co-Presenter) – “The Intersection of the ADA, FMLA, and Workers Compensation” – Tysons Corner – June 9, 2016
• Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Conference (Moderator) – “The New Risk for Government Contractors: Understanding the ‘Blacklisting’ Regulations” – Chicago – May 5, 2016
• Ogletree Deakins Webinar – “Forewarned is Forearmed: Is Your Business ready for the Final ‘Contractor Blacklisting’ Regulations” – April 18, 2016
• Ogletree Deakins Webinar – “What to Expect from the End of the Obama Administration” – February 18, 2016
• Ogletree Deakins Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive – “The NLRB’s New Joint Employer Standard: Redefining Your Workforce” – Phoenix – November 2015
• American Employment Law Council 22nd Annual Conference – “Avoiding Costly Ethics Mistakes” – Palm Beach – October 1, 2014
• American Employment Law Council 21st Annual Conference – “Corporate Counsel Roundtable: Key Problems Employers Face” – Greensboro, GA – October 1, 2013
• 16th Annual Corporate Counsel Institute – “Managing the Global Workforce” – Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C. – March 1, 2012

• March 24, 2022 – SHRM Online – “Washington, D.C.: Ban on Noncompete Agreements Set for Another Delay”
• November 29, 2017 – SHRM Online – “The Fight for $15: A Maryland County Raises the Bar”
• September 16, 2016 – localjobnetwork.com – “White House Announces Release of Final Contractor Blacklisting Rules”
• December 18, 2015 – Law360 – “The New Business Risk For Employers In The Defense Industry”
• July/August 2008 – ACC Docket Vol. 26, No. 6 – “The New Deferred Compensation Rules: An Issue-Spotters Guide to Tax Code Section 409A”

• April 20, 2026 – Law.com – “Ogletree Deakins Expanding Real Estate Footprint in Washington D.C.”
• November 13, 2017 – SHRM Online – “Was Firing the Woman Who Flipped Off the President Too Harsh?”
• November 3, 2017 – SmartCEO – “CEOs, Boards Play Important Role In Reducing Risk of Workplace Violence”
• September 15, 2017 – Bloomberg BNA – “Defense Amendments Would Restore Contractor Worker Protections”
• July 20, 2017 – SHRM Online – “Expansive Employment Laws Proliferate”
• April 17, 2017 – Bloomberg BNA – “Obama’s Sick Leave Order Survives Under Trump, for Now”
• March 28, 2017 – Law360 – “Future Rollbacks May Not Be As Easy As Blacklisting Repeal”
• December 27, 2016 – Marketplace – “Paid Sick Days Add Up for Federal Contractors”
• October 26, 2016 – SHRM Online – “‘Blacklisting Rule’ Blocked”
• October 25, 2016 – Bloomberg BNA – “Obama’s Fair Pay Executive Order was Blocked. Now What?”
• October 25, 2016 – Law360 – “Too Early For Contractors To Celebrate Fair Pay Rule Win”
• October 17, 2016 – SHRM Online – “11th-Hour Attempt to Block the ‘Blacklisting Rule’ Filed”
• October 14, 2016 – SHRM Online – “Take Steps to Comply with Pay Discussion Rule”
• October 14, 2016 – Bloomberg BNA – “Fair Pay Order Is Safe, Former White House Attorney Says”
• September 30, 2016 – SHRM Online – “Department of Labor Issues Paid Sick Leave Rule for Federal Contractors”
• September 29, 2016 – Law360 – “Final Sick Leave Rule Offers Little Relief For Contractors”
• August 24, 2016 – SHRM Online – “Contractors Will Need to Ramp Up to Satisfy Final ‘Blacklisting’ Rule”
• August 24, 2016 – Employment Law Daily – “Final ‘blacklisting’ rule and guidance: What do they mean?”
• August 23, 2016 – Bloomberg BNA – “‘Mere Mayhem’ Predicted as Contractor Rule Finalized”

• Fellow, College of Labor and Employment Lawyers (2025)
• Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®
  • Litigation – Labor and Employment (2024-2026)
• Acritas Star (2018-present)
• Thomson Reuters “Stand-out Lawyer”