Peter M. Murphy is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Holland &
Knight. He practices in the area of national defense and provides wide-ranging
advice to corporations and governments dealing with the Department of Defense.
Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Murphy was the General Counsel of the
United States Marine Corps for twenty years. He dealt closely with high level
government officials, particularly within the Offices of Secretary of Defense and
the Military Departments. He also was a member of the Defense Department’s
senior legal leadership group with the military department general counsels and was the civilian
equivalent of a 3-star general.
Mr. Murphy is experienced in DOD contracting, whether major systems acquisitions or complex
IT contracts. He also specializes in representing cities and states in preventing closure of military
bases. Mr. Murphy is a member of the litigative team that challenged the closure of Naval Air
Station, Willow Grove (Rendell v. Rumsfeld). In addition, he has expertise in the BRAC
implementation phase, facilitating development of former DOD properties.
During his Marine Corps tenure, Mr. Murphy was the Corps' senior ethics advisor and gained
extensive experience in handling complex investigations, sensitive personnel issues and
environmental problems associated with worldwide military operations. As a front line advocate
for the Marine Corps with the Congress, he dealt with Members, drafting and shepherding
critical legislation.
Mr. Murphy received his Bachelor's of Arts degree magna cum laude in history from Long
Island University in 1972 and earned his J.D. from Saint John’s University School of Law in
1974. He is admitted to practice before the New York and District of Columbia Bars.