Francis Murphy

Francis Patrick Murphy, a Chicago personal injury lawyer, joined Corboy & Demetrio in 1983 and became a partner in 1991. He regularly handles complex personal injury and wrongful death cases involving porch and deck collapses, aviation negligence, construction negligence, product liability, premises liability, and claims from railroad, automobile, and vehicular accidents.

Murphy is highly sought after for porch and deck collapse cases due to extensive experience and numerous successes. He represented several victims of the 2003 Lincoln Park porch collapse and brokered a global settlement of $16.6 million. He secured a record-setting $4 million settlement for a young woman injured by a defective porch railing, the highest settlement in Illinois for such an injury. In another case, Murphy obtained $2.15 million for a couple injured when a deck railing failed. He also represented a family in a fatal porch railing case, settling for $2.7 million, and represented a McHenry County woman who fell one story from her deck, settling for $1 million.

Murphy has over fifty settlements and verdicts exceeding $1 million. He secured a $7.5 million settlement for a renowned Chicago Lyric Opera oboist whose musical career ended after being struck by a Chicago Transit Authority bus. He obtained a record-high $2.5 million settlement for the death of an 88-year-old woman killed in a rear-end collision, and secured $6.8 million for a 69-year-old woman and her 71-year-old husband injured by a bus.

Murphy was profiled in Leading Lawyers Magazine - Consumer Edition 2011 in an article titled Gentleman Lawyer for Injury Victims, highlighting his expertise in porch collapse cases. His railroad case verdict was chronicled on Good Morning America. He was featured on Inside Edition for handling cases from the June 29, 2003 Chicago porch collapse tragedy. Oprah featured his wrongful death case involving 12-year-old Catherine Casey Fish, who died from choking during a Chubby Bunny game in her classroom. He appeared on Fox News regarding a woman seriously injured in a second-story deck collapse, and served as legal commentator for Fox News Chicago concerning a young man who fell to his death at Soldier Field during a Chicago Bears game.

Since 2020, Murphy has been named to The Best Lawyers in America. He is recognized among the top 5% of Illinois lawyers by the Leading Lawyer Network, holds Illinois Super Lawyer status, and maintains an AV rating, the highest professional excellence level, from the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. He is a designated member of Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America, and since 2019 has been selected to Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers, and was selected to the 2026 edition of Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America. He has been selected to the national Irish Legal 100 since 2015.

Murphy is the author of numerous legal articles and a frequent lecturer for various bar associations. He has been an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law since 1987. He was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Lawyers' Assistance Program by the Illinois Supreme Court, serving as President from 2013-14, 2014-2015, and 2019-2020, and in other officer roles. In 2019, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago. Murphy began his career as an Assistant Public Defender with the Cook County Public Defender's Office, and before becoming a lawyer worked for A.B. Dick Company in marketing and sales.