Land Murphy
lmurphy@mbssmartlaw.com
(281) 658-9060
Land Murphy
Land is a smart, strategic, and relentless civil litigator. He loves finding the right solution for his clients, using his knack for quickly identifying a dispute’s key questions and then answering those questions efficiently. He thinks deeply, and he thinks ahead, about every step of his cases. He will never be outworked. If it’s important to his client, it’s important to Land.
Land devotes to his clients the same first-rate mind, dogged determination, and attention to detail that made him first in his law school class and the top scorer on the February 2007 Texas bar exam.
Land’s clients also benefit from his deep experience at every stage of civil litigation, from pre-suit dispute resolution, to critical pleadings and motions, to discovery and trial, and to final appeal. He has obtained outstanding results in jury trials, arbitrations, administrative proceedings, and appeals.
Land has substantial experience in all manner of business litigation, including trade-secret, non-compete, and energy-industry disputes. Before becoming a lawyer, Land earned a CPA license and worked as a business professional, making him especially capable of understanding his clients’ business and needs.
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● BPX Operating v. Crimson Exporation. Won jury verdict and $3.3 million judgment for operator in dispute over unpaid joint interest billings. Affirmed on appeal.
● Vitol America v. Targa Channelview. Won $158 million judgment in dismissal of felony Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act charges against client offshore contractor based on offshore rig explosion in Gulf of Mexico. Affirmed by the Fifth Circuit. United States v. Moss, 872 F.3d 304 (5th Cir. 2017). Secured favorable settlement on misdemeanor charges.
● Southbrook Development v. Diversified Site-Work. Secured jury verdict and $6.48 million judgment for property owner client in case about theft of property and breach of a settlement agreement.
● Successfully defeated request for judicially created non-compete after 5-day temporary injunction hearing for artificial lift company client.
● Stroud Production v. Hosford. Defended exploration and production company in case alleging intentional washout of overriding royalty interest, securing reversal of jury verdict in court of appeals.
● Green Bank v. Petrohawk. Defeated summary judgment on claim for second payment of oilfield vendor’s invoices based on factoring agreement with bank, resulting in dismissal of suit.
● Secured anti-SLAPP dismissal of defamation and business disparagement suit against finance executive who publicized collusion settlement between plaintiff and Texas attorney general.
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Rick Houghton & Garland “Land” Murphy, Jurisdictional Discovery, The Advocate, Winter 2021, Vol. 97
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Lawdragon, 500 Leading Litigators in America
Benchmark Litigation, “Litigation Star”
Thomson Reuters “Super Lawyer”
Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers, “Rising Star”
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State Bars of Texas, Arkansas, and California
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States District Courts for the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas
United States District Court for Western District of Arkansas
United States District Court for Colorado
United States District Courts for the Central, Norther, and Southern District of California
Partner & Associate, Smyser Kaplan & Veselka LLP
Associate, Baker Botts LLP
Law Clerk to the Hon. Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
J.D., summa cum laude, Pepperdine University
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
Certified Public Accountant
B.A., summa cum laude, University of Arkansas at Little Rock