Martina Murphy KC

Martina Murphy is a leading employment junior known for her "tenacious advocacy" and her command of complex, high-profile litigation.

Martina has a strong focus on whistleblowing and discrimination within the financial services and medical sectors, often appearing unled in the Court of Appeal shaping the law on worker status and the scope of protected disclosures. A former Chair of the Employment Law Bar Association, Martina is highly sought after by senior executives, trade unions, and large employers alike. Her experience includes managing large-scale group litigation and acting as a legal assessor in professional discipline cases.

Martina is a regular contributor to legal journals and a frequent speaker on the evolution of industrial relations and employment status in the gig economy. Her practice is marked by a deep commitment to human rights and worker status, often leading to landmark decisions in the appellate courts.

Called: 1998

Employment Law Bar Association

Immediate past Chair of the Employment Law Bar Association (ELBA)

Industrial Law Society (ILS)

Employment Lawyers Association

Administrative Law Bar Association

Bar Council’s Flexible Working Group

Bar Council’s Race Working Group

British Medical Association’s (BMA) Panel Counsel

Metropolitan Police Panel Counsel

‘A new class of claimant in discrimination law’, Martina Murphy and Jessica Franklin, Discrimination Law Association Briefings, March 2025, Vol 84, 1113-1126

‘Section 19A of the Equality Act: a new chapter in discrimination legislation’ Martina Murphy, Jessica Franklin and Clare Armstrong (EHRC), April 2025