Who are We?

John Murphy has been an attorney since 1992.  He received his undergraduate degree from Syracuse University and his law degree from Georgetown University.

After graduating from Georgetown Law, John learned the in’s and out’s of federal criminal practice by being the law clerk for the Honorable Donald J. Porter, United States District Court Judge.  John then learned how to try cases by spending three years “in the trenches” as a Legal Services trial attorney.  In 1996, John founded his own firm, and has emphasized criminal defense ever since.  

Since 1996, John has represented thousands of clients and tried hundreds of cases.  He has handled dozens of murder and other high-profile cases.  Over his 30 years of practice John has represented clients charged with almost every conceivable state or federal crime.  He practices throughout the state and federal courts of South Dakota, in the federal courts of North Dakota, and before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.  John is a former Chief Justice of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate’s Supreme Court.  Additionally, John has been published in books, law journals, and legal magazines.  He is affiliated with numerous bar associations and criminal defense organizations.  And, he holds leadership positions on several criminal defense organization boards.

Becky Beer is a highly experienced paralegal with over 20 years of experience.  She has been with Murphy Law Office, P.C. since 2014.  Like John, Becky has been involved in almost every conceivable kind of criminal case:  from minor crimes like shop-lifting to death penalty murder cases.  Becky’s specialty is preparing case files for trial.  Her organizational skills are unparalleled.  She has managed cases involving over a quarter million pages of materials and thousands of recordings.  She stays on top of all of the many requirements for formatting briefs and filing pleadings electronically in the various jurisdictions where we fight cases.  She also manages John’s calendar to make sure that the client’s needs are being met in a timely manner.