Dawn E. Murphy-Johnson

Dawn Murphy-Johnson is Counsel at Miller & Chevalier Chartered. She litigates complex legal issues arising under federal law with a focus on the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), other federal employee benefits statutes such as the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act (FEHBA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and regulatory matters relating to health and pension benefits.

Ms. Murphy-Johnson regularly defends companies and plans in disputes concerning a broad range of ERISA matters, with a particular emphasis on fiduciary duties, benefits denials, and the applicability of ERISA to compensatory arrangements. She counsels clients on governmental enforcement priorities and ERISA's preemption of state law. She has also represented plan participants in claims against the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) concerning pension plan terminations.

Ms. Murphy-Johnson's experience extends to serving as counsel to numerous parties and amici at all stages of briefing before the U.S. Supreme Court and in the U.S. Courts of Appeals, including as second chair in oral argument before the Supreme Court. In the lower courts, she has represented clients in high-stakes, multi-year cases involving alleged violations of the civil Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and federal anti-terrorism laws, in commercial contract disputes, and in cases involving allegations of professional negligence and breach of fiduciary duty.

Ms. Murphy-Johnson began her career in white collar criminal defense, defending individuals in cases involving tax and accounting fraud, public corruption, export control violations and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). She has also conducted internal investigations on behalf of multinational corporations.

Ms. Murphy-Johnson contributes substantial professional time to her active pro bono practice, most often focusing on post-conviction petitions to overturn wrongful convictions and appellate matters involving prisoner litigation.