Murray & Murray & Murray & Murray & …

The law firm of Murray & Murray has been the talk of the town since 1931, when Emmett and Thomas Sr. went into business together at “the only law firm of brothers in Sandusky,” as an article in The Sandusky Register noted that year.

In the decades that followed, the firm became known for high-profile wins against big industries—and also for the sheer number of Murrays-at-law. At least 17 have practiced at the personal injury firm, which has been in operation more than 90 years. 

There are benefits to working at a family firm, says Nolan, a fourth-generation Murray attorney. “Being able to fundamentally trust the people you work with, without having to worry about internal politics or the personal integrity of your colleagues, allows you to just focus on the issues in a case.”

Dennis Jr., in the third generation, says some rivals early in the firm’s history groused that “the Murrays have all the luck.” Another lawyer who knew the family well had a ready reply: “Yes, but it usually comes at 2 o’clock in the morning, in the law library.” 

“The new guys were extremely hardworking and very tough,” says Dennis Sr., who joined the business founded by his father, Emmett, and Uncle Thomas in 1963. At 86, Dennis Sr. works with seven other Murrays, including his four children, Dennis Jr., 63; Charlie, 60; Florence, 56; and Margaret, 54; two of Dennis Jr.’s children—Nolan, 33, and Kelly; and one “first cousin, once removed,” aka Jim Murray, 53, grandson of firm co-founder Thomas Murray Sr. There are also three non-Murray attorneys. Up to nine Murrays have worked there at any one time.

It all started when Thomas Sr. added his name to the shingle of brother Emmett’s 2-year-old solo law firm. Emmett and his wife, Florence, a nurse, ended up having six children. Their three daughters became nurses and their three sons became lawyers. Dennis Sr. told The Sandusky Register in 2014, “I never wanted to be anything else … The wrongs that are committed every day are unbelievable. If we don’t stop it, the poor and powerless will get shoved down.” 

Kelly, the firm’s newest family member, grew up hearing office war stories. The 

big cases included taking on the coal industry on behalf of residents harmed by its waste, and representing minority workers denied opportunities by the auto industry. They also repped those mistreated by elder care homes or harmed by medical mistakes.  

“There was always a story about a case, always an excitement and an energy everyone had,” Kelly remembers. “When I was very young, I thought they really were ‘stories,’ but as I got older, I began to realize the impact that my family had on the community.” 

Dennis Sr. received the Ohio Association of Justice’s highest honor, The Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2015. “Our respect for the law is one of our most unifying factors,” he says. “We disagree on a lot of issues, but we cannot and do not disagree on our high standards.”

They also believe dining together at least twice a month is critical to firm unity.

Florence says there’s something special about working with your father. 

“I learned endless amounts, some related to the law, some not,” she says. “We got 

to spend a lot of time together, during trial days and when the jury’s out or going to lunch.” 

In turn, Dennis Jr. talks about teaching his daughter, Kelly, the ins and outs of the business. When she graduated from law school, many of her classmates were preparing for remote work. 

“I told her you need to be here to learn,” Dennis Jr. recalls. “You need to have conversations at lunch or at the coffee station. You need to be able to say, ‘Hey, this question came up.’” 

From a young age, the Murray children knew they were held to a higher standard. “Almost everyone in town went to school a year or two ahead of or behind a Murray,” Nolan says. “It reinforces the importance that you have to be a kind, decent and involved person, even growing up, because you have this reputation around you. People will remember how you treated them.” 

It also means the firm has represented generations of the same families. About once a week, Jim says, “we get a call from somebody who says, ‘You or your partners represented my uncle or my father or my grandfather.’“

Even better? “I love the clients we sue,” says Dennis Jr., “who come back to ask us to represent them.”

How Many Murrays?

The attorneys Murray agree on many things: passion for the law, commitment to clients, the importance of ethical standards. But one issue the eight Murrays currently working at the firm are having trouble agreeing on is the total number of Murrays who have worked there since its founding nearly a century ago.

“I think 17,” says Nolan. 

“I think it’s 20,” says Dennis Sr. 

At this point, all the Murrays start counting—some aloud, others quietly, to themselves. 

“I count 17,” Florence concludes. 

Dennis Sr. weighs in again: “I’ve served with my father, my uncle, two brothers, four cousins, a niece, a nephew, a son, a daughter, two sons, two daughters and one granddaughter and one grandson, all with the same last name Murray.”  

But that tally—19—seems off, too. “That’s Murray math at work,” Dennis Jr. jokes. 

“For the sake of the article, it’s 17,” Nolan decides.

Dennis Sr. agrees: “17.” 

Seventeen Murrays. Final answer.