There’s something about people that resonates with Matt Murphy. Though he loves to read, write, and argue, it’s people that motivated him to become an attorney.
As Matt told Enjuris during an interview:
“I have always enjoyed working with people and helping others. I have learned more about people, Montana, and what makes the world turn by having long, personal discussions with my clients than I learned in 7 years of post-secondary education.”
The law can be a challenging profession. “It can be extremely frustrating seeing the same insurance or corporate misconduct day in and day out,” said Matt “I’m disgusted by clear societal injustices and bullying.”
But, people have kept Matt eager to come into the office day-after-day despite these challenges.
“Often, clients come in on the verge of a home foreclosure, or because they are unable to put gas in their tank or feed their family. Helping secure these basic amenities and restore a hard-working Montanan’s hope for the future is what fuels my fire.”
Law school beginnings
When Matt was attending law school at the University of Montana, he sat through a lecture given by a highly-respected trial attorney. The attorney told the students that, despite practicing law for decades, he still stuck his neck out nearly every single day. His point was that lawyers can’t be afraid to roll up their sleeves and get dirty.
Good lawyers need to do more than apply the law; they need to shape and create law in the service of their clients.
Seven years into his career, Matt hasn’t forgotten this lesson.
Just recently, Matt filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a long-standing insurer’s right to deny impairment awards for Class 1 impairments. If successful, the lawsuit would result in millions of dollars of benefits being paid to the poorest injured workers in Montana.
Career as a personal injury attorney
Immediately after law school, Matt had the privilege of becoming familiar with several areas of law. But, it was personal injury law that stuck with him. As Matt explained, “no area of law provides such a direct opportunity to help those in need.”
Matt joined the personal injury law firm started by his father and quickly garnered the attention of his peers, receiving the Montana Trial Lawyers’ Association’s Outstanding New Lawyer Award.
Under the personal injury umbrella, Matt has worked on everything from workers’ compensation to wrongful death to social security disability cases.
“I have worked on numerous death cases where a family member is killed due to someone else’s negligence. These are very emotional cases and it’s important to not only obtain fair compensation for the victims, but also to be compassionate and understanding. However, no one case is more important than the other. I am just as passionate helping a minimum-wage Montanan who injured himself while serving his company as I am working on a death case.”
Life outside of work
Matt is a Montanan “to the core.” When he’s not working, he can be found outside in all 4 seasons fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, rock climbing, and rafting.
Matt and his wife recently added a new adventurer to their family. Their first child was born in November 2019.
Parting advice
Matt, along with the other attorneys at the Murphy Law Firm, are available to provide legal services to all Montanans. But whether you come to him for help or another attorney at another law firm, Matt wants to make sure you’re in good hands.
A lot of people think an attorney is an attorney. But, while there are competent general practitioners, they’re the exception to the rule. Think about it like this: If given the choice between a family physician and a spine surgeon, who do you want performing surgery on your spine?
Here are some questions he believes you should keep in mind when searching for the best attorney in Montana:
- Is the attorney a specialist in the area of law at issue?
- Has the attorney been recognized by their peers?
- Who referred you to the attorney and why?
- Does the client have (or are they willing to provide) client reviews and testimonials?
Of course, Matt hopes to hear from you. He wants to get to know you. Then he’ll roll up his sleeves and get to work.
