Sara A. Murphy

Sara A. Murphy


Pierce Atwood LLP

Recognized since 2021

Portland, Maine

Practice Areas

Commercial Litigation

Litigation - Banking and Finance

Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants

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Sara Murphy focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation and class action defense, representing clients from a number of different industries, including financial services, energy, pulp and paper, insurance, and professional services.

Sara’s 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.


Contact & Links
Location
  • Merrill's Wharf
    254 Commercial Street
    Portland, ME 04101
Education
  • University of Maine School of Law, J.D. summa cum laude, graduated 2014
  • University of Southern California, BFA, Theater, graduated 2006
Bar Admissions
  • United States, Maine
  • United States, Massachusetts
Affiliations
  • American Bar Association - Member
  • Cumberland County Bar Association - Member
  • Defense Research Institute - Member
  • Maine Civil Legal Services Fund - Commissioner
  • Maine State Bar Association - Member
  • Maine Supreme Judicial Court - Member, CASA Advisory Panel

Pierce Atwood LLP
Headquarters: Portland, Maine

63 The Best Lawyers in America® awards

14 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America awards

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Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America 2025 for work in:
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation - Banking and Finance
  • Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
Awards:
  • Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” for Commercial Litigation, Banking and Finance Litigation, and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants Law (2021-present)
  • Maine Justice Foundation New Lawyer Award (2021)
  • New England Super Lawyers "Rising Star" for Business Litigation (2018-2020)

Publications

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