Resume

• Neutral since 2011, following 28 years on the bench in Santa Clara County, including roles as Supervising Judge of the Civil Division, Discovery Judge, and Case Management Judge.
• Since 2023, served as:
  – Mediator in 1,500+ cases
  – Arbitrator in 300+ cases
  – Court-Appointed Referee/Other Judicial Assignments in 40+ matters
  – Appointed by courts in 16 California counties and the Federal Court as a Discovery Referee and Judicial Officer.
• Recognized for high-efficiency resolution in complex, high-conflict, and high-stakes matters, with a direct evaluative style, thorough preparation, and strong follow-up.

(As mediator and arbitrator combined, 2011-Present)

Case Type                                                Estimated Volume
Employment & Labor                            700+ cases
Class Actions                                           40+
Personal Injury & Wrongful Death      125+
Sexual Abuse of Minors                         20+
Business/Contract Disputes                 250+
Real Estate                                              240+
Legal Malpractice                                   40+
Medical Malpractice                               50+

After nearly three decades on the Santa Clara County bench, Hon. Kevin J. Murphy (Ret.) has handled thousands of mediations, arbitrations, and court appointments across a wide range of disputes. He began his career as a prosecutor, spending ten years as a Deputy District Attorney before his election to the Municipal Court in 1983 and his appointment to the Superior Court in 1989. Over the next 22 years, he presided over more than a thousand jury and court trials, supervised both the criminal and civil divisions, and taught Civil Remedies and Ethics at Santa Clara University School of Law. In 2011, he transitioned to full-time neutral work with ADR Services, Inc., bringing with him the discipline, fairness, and evaluative instincts of a trial judge.

Since making that transition, Judge Murphy has built an active dispute resolution practice. From 2023 to 2025 alone, he has mediated nearly 1,500 cases, arbitrated over 300 disputes, and been appointed more than 40 times by courts across 16 California counties and the Federal Court. His case composition spans the spectrum: employment and wage-and-hour matters, catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful deaths, class actions, real estate and construction disputes, professional negligence claims, probate fights, elder abuse, and complex commercial cases. In total, his career as a neutral encompasses 40+ class actions, 700+ employment disputes, 125+ personal injury matters (including more than 20 cases involving sexual abuse of minors), 240+ real estate disputes, 40+ legal malpractice actions, 50+ medical malpractice suits, and more than 250+ business and contract disputes.

Numbers tell part of the story, but they are supported by results. Counsel and clients consistently describe Judge Murphy as prepared, practical, and deeply persistent. He is known for his willingness to follow up long after a mediation has ended, refusing to let promising discussions collapse. Clients praise Judge Murphy for being committed, thorough, informed, attentive, persistent and effective. 

His evaluative style has also become a hallmark of his work. Judge Murphy is candid about how he sees a case, often giving parties an honest assessment of their likely trial outcome. He is direct and strives to deliver unwelcome news without alienating the people who need to hear it. His candor is balanced by an instinct for connection. In sensitive disputes, such as cases involving sexual abuse of minors, he draws on his background prosecuting sex crimes to build trust with victims and families, creating space for resolution that might otherwise feel impossible.

The disputes he has handled speak to the breadth of his career. He mediated a wrongful termination claim against a major social media outlet, in which the plaintiff alleged retaliation. He has resolved multimillion-dollar wrongful death actions, including a garbage truck collision that left behind a young family and a hospital restraint case that resulted in tragedy. He has overseen sprawling business conflicts, from a multi-million construction defect and contamination claim to a trade secret and kick-back action brought by one of the country’s largest chip manufacturers. He has untangled probate fights worth tens of millions of dollars and resolved elder abuse claims against some of the nation’s largest banks. These cases, alongside countless employment, malpractice, and real estate disputes, illustrate both the volume and the complexity of the work entrusted to him.

Through it all, Judge Murphy has maintained the character of what attorneys often call an “old-fashioned judge”: honest, disciplined, and grounded in the law. His unwavering adherence to principle combined with empathy for the people before him — defines his work. Judge Murphy continues to bring the credibility of the bench, the persistence of a seasoned trial judge, and the humanity of a trusted guide to every case he takes on.

• Superior Court Judge, Santa Clara County (1989–2011)
  – Supervising Judge – Civil & Criminal Divisions
  – Discovery Judge
  – Over 1,000 bench and jury trials
• Municipal Court Judge, Santa Clara County (1983–1989)
• Deputy District Attorney (1973–1983)

• J.D., UCLA School of Law, 1973
• Adjunct Professor, Santa Clara University School of Law (9 years)
  – Civil Remedies and Legal Ethics
• Frequent CLE lecturer on trial tactics, judicial ethics, and discovery