Practice Areas
- Aviation Litigation
- Construction Negligence
- Personal Injury & Wrongful Death
- Premises Liability
- Product Liability
- Railroad Negligence & FELA
- Vehicular Negligence
Education
- IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D., 1975
- Northwestern University, B.S., 1970
Bar & Court Admissions
- Illinois, 1975
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 1975
21st Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
Francis Patrick Murphy - Patrick Murphy - a Chicago personal injury lawyer, has been with the law firm of Corboy & Demetrio since 1983 and became a partner in 1991. He regularly handles complex personal injury and wrongful death cases involving aviation negligence, construction negligence, product liability, premises liability, including porch and deck collapses, and claims resulting from railroad, automobile, and other vehicular negligence.
Patrick has more than fifty settlements and verdicts of $1 million or more. Among his many accomplishments is a $7.5 million settlement that was secured on behalf of his client, a nationally renowned oboist from the Chicago Lyric Opera and Grant Park Symphony, whose musical career was ended when she was struck by a Chicago Transit Authority bus while crossing a Chicago street. Patrick also obtained a record-high settlement of $2.5 million for the death of an 88 year-old woman, who died when the car she was riding in was hit from behind by another car. In another case involving senior citizens, Patrick secured a $6.8 million settlement for a 69 year-old woman and her 71 year-old husband for injuries she sustained when she was hit by a bus.
Patrick is a highly sought after lawyer in porch and deck collapse cases due to his extensive experience and success. He presently represents 2 young people who fell from a porch/deck in Chicago when the railing collapsed. He also represented a McHenry County woman who fell one story as she stepped onto her deck from her kitchen, settling for $1 million, a family whose child was injured when he fell through porch posts, and the surviving family of a young man killed when he fell through a porch railing at a New Year's Eve Party. The decedent's Blood Alcohol Level was .356 when he fell. Mr. Murphy settled this case for $2.7 million.
Murphy’s achievements in porch and deck collapse cases are numerous. He represented several victims of the 2003 Lincoln Park porch collapse and was instrumental in brokering a global settlement of $16.6 million. He secured a record-setting $4 million settlement for a young woman who fell from a porch when a railing broke away. It is the highest settlement in Illinois for an injury resulting from a defective porch railing. In another case, Murphy was successful in securing $2.15 million for a couple who were injured when a deck railing gave way and they fell to the ground.
The media often reports on Patrick's outstanding record of success and his extensive experience. His verdict in a high-profile railroad case was chronicled on "Good Morning America," ABC's national television morning news show. He was highlighted on "Inside Edition" for his handling of one of the cases from the Chicago porch collapse tragedy of June 29, 2003. In a show dedicated to child safety issues, Oprah featured Patrick’s wrongful death case of 12 year-old Catherine "Casey" Fish, who choked to death while playing a game of Chubby Bunny - stuffing marshmallows into one's mouth - in her grade school classroom. And recently, he was featured on Fox News for his representation of a woman seriously injured when her second story deck collapsed.
Patrick also served as a legal commentator for Fox News Chicago regarding a young man who fell to his death at a Chicago Bear's game at Solider Field.
Recognized as an attorney in the top 5% of all Illinois lawyers by the Leading Lawyer Network, Patrick is an Illinois Super Lawyer and has an AV rating - the highest level awarded for professional excellence - from the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. He is also a designated member of Lawdragon 500, a distinction awarded to only 500 of the 1.2 million lawyers in the United States legal profession, by Lawdragon, the nation's leading online legal media company.
The author of numerous legal articles, Patrick is a frequent lecturer for various bar associations and is an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he has regularly taught since 1987. Recently, he was appointed to the Board of Directors for the Legal Assistance Program by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Mr. Murphy began his career as an Assistant Public Defender with the Cook County Public Defender's Office. Before becoming a lawyer, he worked for A.B. Dick Company in marketing and sales.
Profiles
News
- Corboy & Demetrio Announces Jury Awards $740,000 to Chicago Woman who Tripped on Stairs
- Corboy & Demetrio Secures $600,000 Settlement for Shopper Fall in Appliance Store
- Thirteen Corboy & Demetrio Lawyers Selected Leading Lawyers in Illinois
- Corboy & Demetrio Partner Francis Patrick Murphy Featured in Leading Lawyers Magazine
- Corboy & Demetrio Uniformly Judged to be the Best of the Best
- Corboy & Demetrio - The Leader in Aviation Litigation
- 13 Corboy & Demetrio Attorneys Selected as Illinois Leading Lawyers
- 11 Corboy & Demetrio Lawyers Named to 2011 Super Lawyers List
- Attorney Murphy Featured on Fox News Regarding Defective Decks, Porches, Railings
- Corboy & Demetrio Obtains $1 Million Settlement for Homeowner Injured When Deck Collapses
- Lawsuit Filed in Lakeview Porch Collapse; Protective Order Issued
- $16.6 Million Global Settlement in Lincoln Park Porch Collapse Lawsuit
- C&D Obtains $2.7 Million Settlement in Death from Defective Deck
- Corboy & Demetrio - Leaders in Bridge and Structural Collapse and Defect Litigation
- Porch, Deck, Balcony Safety - Inspect Structures Now Says Attorney Murphy
- Jury Verdict Secured by Corboy & Demetrio Affirmed by Illinois Appellate Court
- Corboy & Demetrio Secures Settlement in Minee-Subee Day Care Center Lawsuit
- Corboy & Demetrio Sues Nicor for Home Gas Explosion, Fire and Residents’ Injuries
- $1 Million Settlement for Passenger Injured in Car Crash
- Attorney Francis Patrick Murphy on Porch & Deck Safety
- Attorney Francis Patrick Murphy Featured on Fox News Chicago
- Porch/Deck Collapse Lawsuit Filed
- Corboy & Demetrio Chicago Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Lawyers Named to Illinois Super Lawyers
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Settlement of $1.4 Million
- Corboy & Demetrio Attorneys Thomas Demetrio and Francis Patrick Murphy Named to Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America
- Corboy & Demetrio Named One of Chicago's Top Law Firms
- Patrick Murphy Settles Case of Couple Who Fell 4 Stories When Porch Railing Collapsed for $2.15 Million
- All Twelve Partners at Corboy & Demetrio Recognized as 2008 Illinois Super Lawyers
- Francis Patrick Murphy Obtains $1.5 Million Settlement for Family of Mother Killed in I-90 Crash
- "Lawyers to See Remains of Porch"
- Court Grants Patrick Murphy's Request for Emergency Order
- C&D Again Atop Chicago Lawyer Magazine Settlement Survey
Publications
- Negligent Issuance of a Life Insurance Policy
- Making the Independent Medical Examiner Your Expert Through the Use of a Ben Franklin Balance Sheet
- Making the Defense Medical Expert Your Expert in a MIST Case Using a Ben Franklin Balance Sheet
- Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
- Packaging Forensics: Package Failure in the Courts - A Shattered Bottle...a Shattered Life
- The Use of Demonstrative Evidence in Trial: The Millennium and Beyond
- Pretrial Trade Secrets of the Pros - Those Precious Few Interrogatories
- Practical Approach for Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Claims
- Wrongful Death Cases - Procedural Aspects
- How to Direct Examine the Economist
- The Art & Science of Jury Selection
Honors
- AV Rated - highest level awarded - Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
- Illinois Super Lawyer - Top 5% of all Illinois attorneys
- Lawyer's Assistance Program, Board of Directors
- Leading Lawyers Network Member - Top 5% of all Illinois attorneys
- Lawdragon 500 - Named one of the top 500 lawyers in the nation
Professional Affiliations
- American Association for Justice (AAJ), formerly known as Association of Trial Lawyers of American (ATLA)
- American Bar Association (ABA)
- Chicago Bar Association (CBA), Judicial Evaluation Committee
- Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA)
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA)
- Lawyer's Assistance Program (LAP)
- Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Adjunct Professor, 1987-Present
- The Society of Trial Lawyers
Seminars & Speeches
- "When to Settle - Considerations," Case Evaluation Seminar, Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2007
- "When to Take a Case - Considerations," Case Evaluation Seminar, Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2007
- "Making the Defense Medical Expert Your Expert in a MIST Case Using a Ben Franklin Balance Sheet," Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Massachusetts, 2004
- "Demonstrative Evidence--The Millennium and Beyond," Price Waterhouse Coopers 1998 Legal Tech Conference, 1998
- "The Use of Demonstrative Evidence in Trial," Masters in Trial, Honoring Leonard Ring Seminar, American Bar Association Seminar, 1998
- "Pretrial Trade Secrets of the Pros - Those Precious Few Interrogatories," Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, 1996
- "Wrongful Death Cases - Procedural Aspects," Chicago Bar Association, 1993
- "Proving Injury - Pain & Suffering, Loss of Consortium," Chicago Bar Association, 1992
- Judge, National Appellate Court Competition, Law Student Division, American Bar Association
- "How to Direct Examine the Economist," Chicago Bar Association, 1989
- "Jury Selection Practice and Procedure," The Art and Science of Jury Selection Seminar, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 1988
- "Bill 1200 - Overview of Tort Reform Affecting Corporations," American Society of Corporate Secretaries, 1987
- "Gun Control - Illinois Perspective," Criminal Justice Institute, 1983