Denise I. Murphy (she/her/hers)
Of Counsel
- (617) 330-7123 (Direct)
- (617) 330-7550 (Fax)
Denise Murphy counsels regional and national businesses on a broad variety of employment law-related issues, ranging from individual terminations to mass reductions in force. Denise is a past President of the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA).
Denise drafts a multitude of employment contracts, severance agreements, handbooks, and policy statements and conducts numerous discrimination investigations and employee training seminars. She litigates sexual harassment claims and cases involving claims of racial, gender, age, disability, and national origin discrimination in both the federal and state courts locally and nationwide. Denise also conducts independent, third-party investigations into allegations of sexual harassment and discriminatory practices.
Denise appears before administrative bodies such as the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and other state agencies across the country. She lectures at seminars sponsored by the Professional Liability Underwriting Society, the National Business Institute, and the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Continuing Legal Education series.
Recognition and Awards
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America®, 2018-2025
- Employment Law – Management
- Labor Law – Management
- Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Selected, Massachusetts Super Lawyers List, 2008-2024
- Listed, Top 100: 2022 Massachusetts Super Lawyers, 2022
- Listed, top 50 Women Massachusetts Super Lawyers, 2022
- Named, Boston magazine, Top Lawyers, Labor and Employment Law, 2021-2023
- Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly – Circle of Excellence Honoree, “Top Women of Law,” 2019
- Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly – Honored as one of the 2015 “Top Women of Law” 2015
- The Boston Globe, Boston’s Top Rated Lawyers, 2012
- Massachusetts Bar Association, “Centennial Award,” 2011
- Boston Magazine, Top 50 Women Attorneys, 2008 to present
Professional and Community Involvement
- Past President, Massachusetts Bar Association, 2020-2021
- Officer and Secretary, 2016–2017
- Member, Executive Management Board
- Past Chair and current Member, Joint Bar Committee on Judicial Appointments
- Past Chair, and current Member of Labor and Employment Section
- Member, Budget and Finance Committee, Policies and Procedures Committee
- September 11th Committee, Conversations on Law and Liberty Program
- House of Delegates Regional Delegate
- Task Force on the Court System’s Anniversary Fee Assessment
- MBA Social Networking Task Force
- MBA Task Force on Employment Opportunities
- Member, Rubin and Rudman Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
- Co-Chair, SJC Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being (Appointed, January 2020)
- Co-Chair, Board of Bar Overseers Bar counsel Search Committee
- Member, SJC Judicial Task Force on Attorney Wellness
- Past member, Town of Westwood, Finance and Warrant Commission: Chair of Educational Subcommittee; Member: Municipal Subcommittee
- Past Member, Board of Editors, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
- Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association, Executive Board
- Women’s Bar Association
- Mentoring Circle Leader
- Past Co-Chair, Judicial Appointments, Applications, and Endorsement Committee
- Massachusetts Bar Foundation
- IOLTA Grant Review Committee
- Regional Committee
- Past member, Welch Healthcare and Retirement Group Ethics Committee
- Group leader, Christmas in the City
Publications and Speaking Engagements
- Panelist, “How GCs Can Enhance Lawyer Well-Being On Their Teams (And Why It Matters),” Continuing Legal Education Live Online Discussion, New England Legal Association and the Association of Corporate Council - Northeast (June 22, 2023)
- Presenter, SJC Swearing-In Ceremony, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (June 13, 2023)
- Speaker, “Lawyer Well-Being in Massachusetts: A Conversation with Retired Justice Margot Botsford and Attorney Denise Murphy,” Higher Callings podcast (April 3, 2023)
- Quoted, “Early exit could mean big payout for Boston Public Schools superintendent Brenda Cassellius,” WCVB5, ABC (February 14, 2023)
- Quoted, “School board poised to OK super’s walking papers,” Boston Herald (March 1, 2022)
- Quoted, “Outgoing Boston Public Schools superintendent could leave with $311,000,” MSN (February 22, 2022)
- Featured, “More Than Words: MBA Embraces Change, Growth Under Murphy’s Leadership,” MassBar ejournal (August 26, 2021)
- Featured, “MBA President Denise Murphy ’80 Turns Words into Action,” UMass Boston News (May 16, 2021)
- Quoted, “8 takeaways from the Mass. hearing into Wynn Resorts’ suitability,” Boston Business Journal (April 2019)
- Quoted, “Wynn Resorts Changes ‘Do Not Erase The Past’,” WGBH (April 2019)
- Mentioned, “Local law firm to help look into Wynn,” Boston Herald (November 2018)
- Author, “Massachusetts Legislature Passes Major Non-Compete Law” (August 2018)
- Quoted, “Weinstein Scandal Seen as Impacting Law Firm Culture,” Mass Lawyers Weekly (December 11, 2017)
- Quoted, “Johnson Makes Rare Speech as Fidelity Deals With Harassment,” Bloomberg.com, October 24, 2017
- “Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Injunction Update” (November 23, 2016)
- “New DOL Rules Significantly Increase Employers’ Overtime Obligations” (May 27, 2016)