MURPHY & HEALY - Key Persons

James J. Healy maintains an active trial and appellate practice representing individuals and institutions in state and federal court. He handles a broad range of appellate matters, and has personally argued numerous appeals before the Connecticut Supreme and Appellate Courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. For his efforts, the Connecticut Law Tribune has twice named the firm as Appellate Litigation Department of the Year. James also litigates complex civil and criminal matters in the trial court, and has tried cases to jury verdict, including as first chair. He is regularly listed in Super Lawyers, as well as The Best Lawyers in America for Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, and Personal Injury Litigation. By appointment of the Chief Justice, James serves on the Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules, and previously served on the Jury Selection Task Force. He has been recognized in the Tribune's Personal Injury Hall of Fame and as a "New Leader in the Law." An annual panelist for the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association's Supreme and Appellate Court Review, James is also a member of the Executive Committees of the Federal Practice Section (former Co-Chair) and Appellate Advocacy Section of the Connecticut Bar Association, and serves as a James W. Cooper Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation.

James T. Cowdery practices in the areas of white collar criminal defense and commercial litigation, including the areas of RICO, money laundering, environmental law, health care, government contracting fraud, tax fraud and bank fraud. He served as a member of the State of Connecticut Judicial Review Council, which investigates and conducts hearings on complaints of misconduct against members of the Connecticut judiciary. Jamie also served as the Chairman of the Committee on Criminal Rules and Practice of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. He also served on the Standing Committee on the Criminal Justice Act Panel of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. He currently serves on the Connecticut Bar Association's Fair and Impartial Courts Committee. Jamie is the former Chief of the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut and former Chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. In 1989, he received the Federal Bar Association Younger Lawyer Award for Distinguished Federal Service. He has been selected consistently for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for his work in white collar criminal defense.

Job Titles:

• Member With the National Association of Attorneys General 's Training

Margaret Q. ("Peggy") Chapple practices in the areas of civil litigation, internal and independent investigations, and alternative dispute resolution. Peggy served as Deputy Attorney General for the State of Connecticut from January 2019 to February 2023, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Attorney General's Office. She previously held several positions with the Office of the Attorney General, including Assistant Attorney General/Department Head in both the Public Safety and Employment Rights Sections, Associate Attorney General for Administration and Management, and Associate Attorney General for Litigation. Her duties included handling civil litigation and appeals, supervising department attorneys and staff, and representing state agencies and officials in complex settlement discussions. Peggy has been a faculty member with the National Association of Attorneys General's Training and Research Institute, which conducts training for Attorneys General offices throughout the country. In 2016, she received the organization's Faculty of the Year Award. In 2015, she was honored to receive the Connecticut Law Tribune's Professional Excellence Award.

Thomas J. Murphy represents clients in white collar criminal investigations and prosecutions, as well as in various quasi-criminal and regulatory proceedings. Tom also handles internal and independent investigations for clients concerning matters of statutory and regulatory compliance, and conducts fact-finding investigations for both governmental and private entities in response to allegations of misconduct by officers and employees. He has been selected repeatedly for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers for his work in white collar criminal defense. In addition, Tom represents clients in a wide range of civil litigation, including commercial disputes and complex personal injury actions, in court, arbitration, and mediation. In 2015, Tom was inducted into the Connecticut Law Tribune's Personal Injury Hall of Fame for his successful recovery at trial of a multi-million-dollar verdict in a wrongful death action. In 2018, Tom was selected as a James W. Cooper Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation. Before joining the firm, Tom served from 1990 to 1997 as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. As a federal prosecutor, Tom handled complex white collar prosecutions, spanning the breadth of federal crimes, from the grand jury investigative stage through trial and appeal. While at the United States Attorney's Office in 1997, Tom received the Executive Office of United States Attorneys Award for Superior Performance for his successful prosecution of a massive real estate investment fraud perpetrated in Connecticut. From 1987 to 1990, Tom was associated with Williams & Connolly in Washington, D.C., where he represented individuals and institutions in a wide variety of civil and white collar criminal matters. Tom served as the Chairman of the United States District Court's Magistrate Merit Review Panel considering the reappointment of United States Magistrate Judges from 2008 to 2012. He formerly served on the Federal Grievance Committee of the United States District Court, and was a member of the Federal Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association. As a member of the adjunct faculty of the University of Connecticut School of Law, Tom has taught both Appellate Practice and Criminal Procedure. Tom served as law clerk to the Honorable George C. Pratt of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1985 to 1987. He graduated magna cum laude from St. John's University School of Law, where he was the Editor-in-Chief of the St. John's Law Review. Tom is a Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude graduate of Georgetown University.