Case Manager: Sejla Garbo
(As mediator and arbitrator combined, 2011-Present)
Case Type Estimated Volume
Employment & Labor 700+ cases
Class Actions 40+
Personal Injury & Wrongful Death 125+
Sexual Abuse of Minors 20+
Business/Contract Disputes 250+
Real Estate 240+
Legal Malpractice 40+
Medical Malpractice 50+
After nearly three decades on the Santa Clara County bench, Hon. Kevin J. Murphy (Ret.) has handled thousands of mediations, arbitrations, and court appointments across a wide range of disputes. He began his career as a prosecutor, spending ten years as a Deputy District Attorney before his election to the Municipal Court in 1983 and his appointment to the Superior Court in 1989. Over the next 22 years, he presided over more than a thousand jury and court trials, supervised both the criminal and civil divisions, and taught Civil Remedies and Ethics at Santa Clara University School of Law. In 2011, he transitioned to full-time neutral work with ADR Services, Inc., bringing with him the discipline, fairness, and evaluative instincts of a trial judge.
Since making that transition, Judge Murphy has built an active dispute resolution practice. From 2023 to 2025 alone, he has mediated nearly 1,500 cases, arbitrated over 300 disputes, and been appointed more than 40 times by courts across 16 California counties and the Federal Court. His case composition spans the spectrum: employment and wage-and-hour matters, catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful deaths, class actions, real estate and construction disputes, professional negligence claims, probate fights, elder abuse, and complex commercial cases. In total, his career as a neutral encompasses 40+ class actions, 700+ employment disputes, 125+ personal injury matters (including more than 20 cases involving sexual abuse of minors), 240+ real estate disputes, 40+ legal malpractice actions, 50+ medical malpractice suits, and more than 250+ business and contract disputes.
Numbers tell part of the story, but they are supported by results. Counsel and clients consistently describe Judge Murphy as prepared, practical, and deeply persistent. He is known for his willingness to follow up long after a mediation has ended, refusing to let promising discussions collapse. Clients praise Judge Murphy for being committed, thorough, informed, attentive, persistent and effective.
His evaluative style has also become a hallmark of his work. Judge Murphy is candid about how he sees a case, often giving parties an honest assessment of their likely trial outcome. He is direct and strives to deliver unwelcome news without alienating the people who need to hear it. His candor is balanced by an instinct for connection. In sensitive disputes, such as cases involving sexual abuse of minors, he draws on his background prosecuting sex crimes to build trust with victims and families, creating space for resolution that might otherwise feel impossible.
The disputes he has handled speak to the breadth of his career. He mediated a wrongful termination claim against a major social media outlet, in which the plaintiff alleged retaliation. He has resolved multimillion-dollar wrongful death actions, including a garbage truck collision that left behind a young family and a hospital restraint case that resulted in tragedy. He has overseen sprawling business conflicts, from a multi-million construction defect and contamination claim to a trade secret and kick-back action brought by one of the country’s largest chip manufacturers. He has untangled probate fights worth tens of millions of dollars and resolved elder abuse claims against some of the nation’s largest banks. These cases, alongside countless employment, malpractice, and real estate disputes, illustrate both the volume and the complexity of the work entrusted to him.
Through it all, Judge Murphy has maintained the character of what attorneys often call an “old-fashioned judge”: honest, disciplined, and grounded in the law. His unwavering adherence to principle combined with empathy for the people before him — defines his work. Judge Murphy continues to bring the credibility of the bench, the persistence of a seasoned trial judge, and the humanity of a trusted guide to every case he takes on.
“Judge Murphy is an exceptional Mediator, working extremely hard to resolve the cases he is hired for. He is not only effective during the mediation itself, but if the matter does not resolve, he is persistent in his follow ups to ensure that the case ultimately does settle.”
“Judge Murphy was outstanding. Complete knowledge of the case, understanding of the law and facts and willing to engage in argument on both. Most impressive was his follow-up after the initial mediation session was unsuccessful. He communicated all weekend at various terms and was extremely persistent. He was also a pleasure to deal with. One of the best experiences in mediation.”
“Judge Murphy is an excellent mediator. He is thoughtful, persistent and understanding. And I very much appreciate that he stays involved after the day of the mediation to try to get a deal done. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him or use him again. He is a huge credit to ADR Services, Inc.”
“Judge Murphy was excellent. He was very tenacious in assisting the parties in reaching a settlement. This did not occur during the mediation itself. But Judge Murphy stayed involved over the next week or two and was able to get it done. I highly recommend him. I also note that he displayed a great deal of compassion and understanding during the process, which was a very important factor in helping my client.”
“Judge Murphy was stellar – practical, polite, created clear expectations of where we were going at all points. I have noted ADR and specifically Judge Murphy for future reference. I would use Judge Murphy again in a heartbeat, and recommend him highly!”
“Judge Murphy was well prepared, patient and thoughtful. He has an excellent rapport with clients. I would highly recommend him to anyone with a difficult case.”
“Judge Murphy is the person I go to with my more difficult cases. Having a mediator who can understand the issues is half the battle with any case. He reads the papers and is prepared. He also respects the privacy of all counsel and parties and can be trusted with information which he only uses after obtaining consent. He gets results because he approaches problems in a practical no-nonsense manner and actually listens to, and communicates with, the various parties involved in a case. I will definitely recommend him to all of my colleagues. Thank you Judge Murphy!”
“Judge Murphy is superb. Solid, smart, quick. Very pleased”
“Judge Murphy is elite.”
“I very much appreciated Judge Murphy’s follow-up efforts and willingness to work with the parties to reach a settlement.”
“Judge Murphy is committed, thorough, informed, attentive, persistent and extremely effective. Maybe most importantly, he provides confidence in my clients that they can rely on his assessments. No one better.”
“Judge Murphy was fantastic, and was able to get our case that was dragging on to a resolution.”
“Judge Murphy is an exceptional mediator.”
