William F. McMurry

William F. McMurry was born and raised in Paducah, Kentucky.  He graduated from the University of Louisville, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law in 1978.  His professional career includes practice in Kentucky and Florida, as well as Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney.  One of the most experienced courtroom attorneys in Kentucky,  William McMurry is considered an old-style hero attorney who does the right thing for the right reasons, a crusader, an advocate for those who need representation. 

Education

• University of Kentucky, B.G.S. with high distinction, 1976
• University of Louisville, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, 1978

Bar Admissions

• Kentucky, 1979
• Florida, 1981
• North Carolina, 2020
• United States District Court, Western District of Kentucky, 1979
• United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, 1985
• United States Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit, 1983
• United States Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, 2003

Awards

• Inducted into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame for Exemplary Leadership in Civil Rights by the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, October 16, 2014
• 2014 Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year, Florida Bar Association
• American Jurisprudence Award in Criminal Law, Bancroft-Whitney Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Co., 1977

Certifications

• Board Certified as a Medical Malpractice Trial Specialist by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys, 1994, recertified 1999, 2006, 2011, 2016.
• Board Certified as a Legal Malpractice Trial Specialist by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys, 1994, recertified 2000, 2006, 2011, 2016.
• Board Certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, 1993, recertified 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018.
• Board Certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education, 1991, recertified 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011.
• Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, 2001-2014 designated Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory of Preeminent Lawyers in America in Medical Malpractice and Legal Malpractice. Martindale-Hubbell Rating: “AV”
• Peer-selected for Kentucky Super Lawyers, designation of the top five percent of lawyers in Kentucky, 2007-2014.
• Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the State of Kentucky, 2007-2014, designated by The American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA)
• Passed the Multi-State Professional Responsibility Examination, administered by the National Board of Bar Examiners, November 5, 2011.

  Professional History

• William F. McMurry & Associates, Louisville, Kentucky, 2002-
  Present
• McMurry & Talbott, Louisville, Kentucky, 1994-2002
• Oldfather & Morris, Louisville, Kentucky, 1987-1994
• Bross, Trachtman, Henderson & Childress, Merritt Island, Florida, 1985-1987
• Boehl, Stopher, Graves & Deindoerfer, Louisville, Kentucky,
  -Associate, 1982-1983; Partner, 1984-1985. Representative insurance clients include Traveler’s Insurance, CNA, Associated Aviation Underwriters, Medical Protective, St. Paul and The Hartford
• Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney
  Second Judicial District, 1979-1980 (Paducah, Kentucky)
  Thirtieth Judicial District, 1980-1982 (Louisville, Kentucky)
• McMurry & Livingston, Paducah, Kentucky, 1979-1980

Professional Memberships

• American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys (ABPLA)
• Southern Trial Lawyers Association (STLA)
• National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA)
• Kentucky Bar Association (KBA)
• Louisville Bar Association (LBA)
• The Florida Bar
• The North Carolina Bar
• American Association for Justice (AAJ)
• Kentucky Justice Association (KJA)
• The American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA)
• American Bar Association (ABA)

Featured Lecturer

• Legal Ethics: Ethical Dilemmas of Multiple Client Representation, co-presented to the Annual Meeting of the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys (ABPLA), Miami, Florida May 3, 2014.
• Legal Malpractice: The Case within the Case, presented to the Annual Meeting of the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys (ABPLA), Miami, Florida May 1, 2014.
• Legal Liability and Ethical Dilemmas: The Case within the Case, presented to the Annual Meeting of the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys (ABPLA), New Orleans, LA, April 27, 2013.
• Legal Liability and Ethical Dilemmas: The Case within the Case, presented to the Annual Convention of the California Bar, Monterey, California, October 13, 2012.
• Masters in Trial, presented by the Foundation for the American Board of Trial Advocacy (ABOTA) and the Nashville Bar Association, April 27, 2012. Performed the Direct Examination of the Plaintiff’s expert witness and the Closing Argument for the Plaintiff’s case. Mock jury verdict/deliberations in favor of Plaintiff for combined compensatory and punitive damages of $6.6 million.
• The Exercise of a Lawyer’s Professional Judgment (The Judgmental Immunity Defense), an adaptation of How We Decide, by author Jonah Lehrer, State Bar of California Annual Convention, Long Beach, California, October 11, 2011.
• “Rethinking the Value of Emotions: A Trial Lawyer’s Quest for Better Decision-making,” Tennessee Trial Lawyers, Chattanooga, TN – June 16, 2011.
• “Opening Statements in Legal Malpractice,” American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys, San Diego, CA May 11, 2011.
• “Using the New Science of Decision-Making: The Trial Lawyer’s Guide to Better Decisions,” Louisiana Trial Lawyers, Carmel, CA – June 27, 2010.
• “Rethinking the Value of Emotions: A Trial Lawyer’s Quest for Better Decision-making,” American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA – June 10, 2010.
• “Legal Malpractice: When Medical Malpractice is the Case within the Case,” American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys, Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA – June 8, 2009.
• “Fight Hate Now More Than Ever,” an in-depth review of William F. McMurry’s work with co-counsel Morris Dees in the case of Gruver vs Imperial Klans of America, presented at the Annual Convention of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association, February 20th, 2009.
• “Legal Malpractice Disasters Stemming from the Handling and Litigation of Mass Tort Cases,” American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, June 7, 2008.
• “Legal Malpractice: When Society Loses Trust in Authority,” National Civil Litigation Conference, Law Education Institute, Aspen, Colorado, January 6, 2007.
• “Fresh Approaches to Medical Malpractice: Liability when Treatment Policies Conflict with Hospital Advertising,” Advanced Litigation Symposium, Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 30, 2006.
• “Fresh Approaches to Medical Malpractice: Liability when Treatment Policies Conflict with Hospital Advertising,” National Civil Litigation Conference, Law Education Institute, Aspen, Colorado, January 4, 2006.
• “Litigating Beyond Borders: Justice in a Global Society,” National Civil Litigation Conference, Law Education Institute, Aspen Colorado, January 5, 2005.
• “Crime and Punishment in the Free Market Economy,” Moscow Social and Psychological Institute of the Moscow State Sociological University, Moscow, Russia, December 9, 2004.
• “Holding the Vatican Accountable for Its Worldwide Problem of Childhood Sexual Abuse,” Center for International Legal Institute,
• CILS Conference on Negligence and Damages in the International Setting, Salzburg, Austria, September 24, 2004.
• “Keeping Your Clients Informed through the Web,” Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys Annual Convention, Louisville, Kentucky, September 9, 2004.
• “News Media Relations and Case Management in High Profile Cases,” National Civil Litigation Conference, Law Education Institute, Aspen, Colorado, January 2004.
• “Medical Malpractice in Kentucky,” National Business Institute, Louisville, Kentucky, December 2003.
• “Legal Ethics in Kentucky,” Lorman Education Services, Louisville,Kentucky, May 2003.
• “Ethical Issues Surrounding Use of Courtroom Technology,” Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys, Louisville, Kentucky, March 2003.
• “Overcoming the Statute of Limitations in Childhood Sexual Abuse Cases,” National Civil Litigation Conference, Law Education Institute, Aspen, Colorado, January 2003.
• “Solutions to the Most Common Ethical Challenges,” Eminent Domain Conference, Louisville, Kentucky, June 2002
• “Jury Bias in the 21st Century,” Chairperson, Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys, Louisville, Kentucky, May 2002.
• “Practical Legal Ethics in Kentucky: Issues and Answers,” National Business Institute, Louisville, Kentucky, June 2001.
• “Medical Professional Liability, Failure to Properly Treat Carbon Monoxide Exposure,” American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys, Annual CLE Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, October 2000
• “Medical Malpractice, The Plaintiff’s Perspective,” National Business Institute, September 1996.
• “Premises Liability: Preparation and Trial of a Difficult Case in Kentucky (The Plaintiff’s Perspective),” National Business Institute, Louisville, Kentucky, March 1995.
• “Trying the Automobile Accident Case in Kentucky (The Plaintiff’s Perspective),” National Business Institute, Louisville,