Senior partner honored with award

SANDUSKY — The Sandusky-based Murray & Murray law firm recently announced that senior partner Florence Murray received recognition by winning the Richard D. Hailey Distinguished Service Award from the American Association for Justice. A ceremony took place on July 22 in San Fransicso, California. The award recognizes association members who "have provided exceptional services and support" to the organization's president, according to an award statement. "Florence joins a distinguished group of leaders selected nationwide for their contributions to the advancement of civil justice." Murray called the distinction "an incredible honor to be recognized by an organization that has shaped the fight for justice in this country." Her work with the association "has always been driven by a desire to help build a stronger, more inclusive legal system, one that supports plaintiffs' trial lawyers in every corner of the country and stands up for the people we serve." She's long been a deeply engaged leader with the association, her law firm noted, after completing five years of service with its board of governors. Additionally, she serves: • On multiple national committees, including those on education, oversight and law schools • As chair of the litigation group leaders council • As secretary of the Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, co-chair of the Bad Faith Insurance Litigation Group and vice chair of the insurance section She's also previously served in various other high-ranking roles. "A double board-certified Civil Trial and Truck Accident Law accomplished trial attorney, Florence focuses her practice on serious personal injury and wrongful death cases, including those involving traumatic brain injuries, trucking collisions, boating injuries, civil rights violations and bad faith insurance claims," according to her law firm. Florence has received many other honors, including the 2023 and 2025 American Association for Justice Board of Governors Outstanding Achievement awards and the 2021 American Association for Justice Distinguished Service Award. She has also been included in The National Trial Lawyers' lists of: • Top 100 Trial Lawyers • Top 25 Brain Injury Lawyers • Top 10 Bad Faith Insurance Lawyers Additionally, she has been recognized by Ohio Super Lawyers for nine years. "Florence's dedication to justice is reflected not only in her litigation work but also in her contributions to the broader legal and public interest communities," the law firm noted. "She was recently appointed to the board of directors for the Brain Injury Association of America and served as a keynote speaker at Bard College's 2025 symposium on environmental contamination. She is widely recognized as a thought leader in the national trial bar. Raised in a family of lawyers, Florence credits her father's passion for justice as the spark that ignited her own. Her approach to the practice of law is "deeply personal, rooted in empathy, fairness and an unwavering sense of duty," the law firm noted. "We meet people at some of the most difficult points in their lives," she said. "Being able to guide them through that, while also working to make the broader system more equitable, is a privilege I don't take lightly." Whether representing clients in high-stakes litigation or advocating for systemic reform on the national stage, "Florence brings the same core values to every endeavor: fairness, service, and an unwavering belief in the power of the law to change lives," the law firm statement read.