John C. Murphy

Senior Counsel

Areas of Focus

John C. Murphy

Senior Counsel

jmurphy@akingump.com

Areas of Focus

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Biography
  • Advises companies and individuals in connection with government investigations and related enforcement proceedings arising under the federal securities and commodities laws, internal investigations, civil litigation and compliance counseling.
  • Significant experience in matters before the CFTC, SEC and DOJ.
  • Served as a senior trial attorney in the CFTC’s Division of Enforcement and head of the Division’s Digital Asset Task Force.

Jack represents financial institutions, public and private companies and their key stakeholders in a range of internal and government investigations, enforcement actions and litigation. Leveraging his dual experience in the public and private sectors, he delivers comprehensive and strategic counsel to guide clients through high-stakes and complex matters.

Jack served for five years as a trial attorney in the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Division of Enforcement, where he prosecuted violations of the Commodity Exchange Act, with a focus on fraud, market manipulation and regulatory compliance in financial markets. As head of the Digital Asset Task Force, he advised on legal and regulatory developments, investigative tools and enforcement strategies and priorities, and liaised with counterparts at the SEC, DOJ, FinCEN and other government agencies. Jack also investigated and prosecuted some of the CFTC’s most significant digital asset matters, including some of the first cases applying the agency’s regulations in the context of decentralized finance.

Prior to his tenure at the CFTC, Jack spent several years as a counsel in Akin’s litigation practice, where he advised clients on a range of matters, from bankruptcy litigation to securing a judgment of acquittal in a high-profile national security case.

Previously, Jack served as a law clerk for the Honorable Judge William H. Pauley III of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Jack received his J.D. with high honors from the George Washington University Law School, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as a notes editor for The George Washington Law Review.

Representative Work
  • Defended a high frequency trading firm in CFTC and DOJ spoofing investigations.
  • Defended a hedge fund in a Commodity Exchange Act class action and obtained dismissal of claims related to Swiss franc LIBOR manipulation.
  • Defended a hedge fund in a securities class action and secured cost-of-defense settlement.
  • Represented an individual in a criminal trial on charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent and secured judgment of acquittal following jury’s guilty verdict.
  • Defended a private equity firm in a securities class action arising from its investment in a Chinese company.
  • Represented a hedge fund client against allegations of aiding and abetting fraud.
  • Conducted an internal investigation of a credit ratings agency related to its ratings of mortgage-backed securities.

List may include matters worked on prior to joining Akin.

Education
  • J.D., The George Washington University Law School, with high honors, 2010

  • B.A., Harvard University, 2004

Clerkships
  • U.S.D.C., Southern District of New York

Bar Admissions
  • New York

Recognitions
  • CFTC, Chairman’s Award for Staff Excellence, 2023.

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