Sara A. Murphy - Lawyer in Portland, ME

Sara Murphy is an associate in Pierce Atwood's Litigation Practice Group, where she focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation and class action defense.

Sara represents clients from a number of different industries, including financial services, energy, pulp and paper, insurance, and professional services. Saras litigation practice includes disputes related to breach of contract, unfair trade practices, claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and other business-related torts. She also handles cases involving claims for civil conspiracy, consumer fraud, insurance coverage, and defending lawyers and law firms with respect to professional services rendered.

Sara also dedicates significant pro bono legal services representing CASA guardians ad litem in complex child protection cases and currently serves as a member of the Maine CASA Advisory Panel. Sara was also recently appointed by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to serve as a commissioner for the Maine Civil Legal Services Fund, which annually distributes funds to support civil legal services to persons who otherwise are not able to afford counsel.

Before joining Pierce Atwood, Sara gained valuable insight into state appellate litigation and federal trial litigation first as a law clerk for the Honorable Chief Justice Leigh I. Saufley of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, and subsequently as a law clerk for the Honorable D. Brock Hornby of the United States District Court for the District of Maine.

Prior to clerking, Sara sought out a diverse range of experiences as a law student?she was a student attorney at the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic advocating for children in the juvenile justice system, the Symposium Editor of the Maine Law Review, a teaching assistant for first year Property and Civil Procedure courses, the Charles A. Harvey, Jr. Trial Practice Immersion Fellow, working with experienced trial attorneys on civil and criminal cases, the Bernstein Fellow, working as a law clerk for the District Court in Portland, Maine, and as a student member of the Edward T. Gignoux Inn of Court.

Upon graduation, Sara received the Faculty Significant Achievement Award for her academic performance and the ALI CLE Scholarship and Leadership Award as the student who best represented a combination of scholarship and leadership during law school.

Before attending law school, Sara worked in theater in Los Angeles and Portland. She now serves on the Board of Trustees at the Portland Stage.