James Murphy joined Virginia & Ambinder, LLP as an associate in May 2007 and works at our Lower Manhattan offices. He has been a partner since 2015. Noted for his expertise in wage and hour class actions, he has taught Continuing Legal Education classes in wage and hour law at the Nassau County Bar Association. James has successfully argued before the New York State Court of Appeals; the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; and the New York Appellate Divisions for the First, Second, and Fourth Departments. 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 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.
Areas of Practice
- FLSA Class Actions
- State Wage and Hour Class Actions
- Employment Discrimination Matters
- Breach of Contract
- ERISA Litigation
Bar Admissions
- New York
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court Northern District of New York
- U.S. District Court Southern District of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit
Education
- Fordham University School of Law, New York, New York
J.D. – 2004 - Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
B.S. – 2001
Major: Industrial and Labor Relations
Minor: Collective Bargaining, Labor History, and Labor Law