James E. Murphy

James Murphy joined Virginia & Ambinder, LLP as an associate in May 2007 and works at our Lower Manhattan offices. James works on litigating complex wage and hour class actions, specifically in representing workers seeking unpaid prevailing wages on publicly financed construction projects, unpaid living wages for employees of companies working under service contracts with the City of New York, and unpaid minimum wages and overtime pursuant to state and Federal overtime laws. He represents workers in both state and Federal courts, at both the trial level and in appellate courts. James also advises trade unions on various issues relating to organizing activities and the National Labor Relations Act., and performs work in connection with union benefit fund collection actions.

Prior to joining Virginia & Ambinder, LLP, he worked on union organizing campaigns for international unions such as the United Auto Workers and the former Union of Needletrades and Industrial Textile Employees, on both the local and national levels. James has also represented management, overseeing Federal regulatory compliance, including OSHA and related labor law compliance, for a 400 employee manufacturing firm. James has extensive courtroom experience, having served as trial counsel to a Long Island based litigation firm.

James graduated from Cornell University in 2001, earning a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations with a minor concentration in Collective Bargaining, Labor History, and Labor Law. He obtained his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2004, and is admitted to practice in the State of New York.