Christopher Murell
Christopher Murell has consistently been a champion for those silenced by injustice. A seasoned defense attorney whose career spans multiple facets of the legal system, Christopher’s story is one of relentless advocacy and profound compassion and empathy for those he defends. Born with a sense of purpose, Christopher was aware from a young age that his life’s work would involve defending those most in need, advocating for the vulnerable, and giving a voice to the marginalized. Christopher is recognized for his ability to secure victories in cases that appear indefensible, achieving acquittals, dismissals, or reductions that lead to favorable outcomes.
Christopher began his career as a Georgia Capital Defender, representing Brian Nichols, who was prosecuted for the murder of a judge, court reporter, deputy, and ICE agent. As part of a defense team led by the esteemed Henderson Hill, a distinguished trial lawyer from North Carolina, Christopher helped secure a life verdict despite the State’s pursuit of the death penalty. This experience, working on the defense side of a complex death penalty case that lasted half a year, provided Christopher with invaluable insight into the mechanics of the opposing side, knowledge he would later use to defend the underserved.
News and Media
Following Hurricane Katrina, Christopher’s journey led him to Louisiana, where he took on the role of a public defender at the Orleans Public Defenders Office. In a system overwhelmed by the disaster’s aftermath, he represented those who couldn’t afford legal counsel, earning a reputation for securing court victories against seemingly insurmountable odds. Remarkably, during his time at the Public Defender’s Office, only one of the jury trials where Christopher served as lead counsel resulted in a conviction, however, that conviction was vacated within a year due to the state’s concealment of exculpatory evidence. In his final three years at the Orleans Public Defenders Office, Christopher co-founded the capital trial division, focusing exclusively on the death penalty and juvenile life-without-parole cases. During this time, he trained extensively in cross-examination and voir dire techniques, including the Colorado Method, educating and enriching the experience of peer attorneys from across the state of Louisiana.
Leadership Roles of Impactful Organizations
Christopher served in several leadership roles, including Executive Director of both the Capital Appeals Project and the Promise of Justice Initiative. At the Capital Appeals Project, he represented individuals sentenced to death across Louisiana, successfully arguing before the Louisiana Supreme Court and securing a reversal in the infamous capital case of Brian Horn. At the Promise of Justice Initiative (PJI), which focuses on impact litigation, strategic criminal litigation, organizing, and legislative advocacy aimed at reducing prison populations, challenging inhumane conditions of confinement, and addressing prosecutorial and judicial misconduct, Christopher spearheaded groundbreaking civil litigation on behalf of prisoners in Louisiana.
After his tenure as a public defender, Christopher further honed his legal expertise by working with Lewis Unglesby, a nationally known trial lawyer with an exceptional track record in criminal and civil law. Christopher played a pivotal role on a legal team that successfully secured wins in both criminal and civil cases.
Reaching the Louisiana Supreme Court and Supreme Court of the United States
Christopher has argued numerous cases before the Louisiana Supreme Court. His track record includes not only securing acquittals in serious felony cases, from drug possession to murder but also persuading the Louisiana Supreme Court to overturn his clients’ convictions and death sentences.
Moreover, Christopher’s legal acumen was showcased when he was asked by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers to author a friend of the court (amicus) brief in support of reversing David Brown’s wrongful death penalty conviction. He has also been engaged in Supreme Court advocacy, having been mentored by the luminary Anthony G. Amsterdam at NYU Law.
Protecting Children Shackled in Solitary Confinement at the World’s Deadliest Adult Prison
In the harsh confines of Angola Prison, the world’s most notorious maximum-security adult prison, children were being housed on prior death row, shackled in solitary confinement, and treated inhumanely. They were not receiving the education and rehabilitative treatment they deserved and were subjected to unneeded trauma. Christopher was instrumental in the liberation of children from this heinous jail. As part of a legal team, he successfully persuaded the judge to have these children removed from such harsh conditions in an adult prison and transferred to a juvenile facility.
Christopher’s legal acumen is matched by his capacity to listen deeply, empathize, and gain a true understanding of his clients and the legal situation at hand. He not only skillfully guides his clients through the complexities of the broken legal maze, he empowers his clients, teaching them to stand up against the towering injustices they face. His approach to law is not merely as a profession, but as a calling, utilizing wisdom, compassion, and a relentless pursuit of what is right.
To his peers, Christopher is an aggressive, zealous lawyer, determined to advocate for his clients. He operates as the intermediary between a broken legal system and those entangled in its complexity, crafting multiple avenues toward freedom for his clients.
He possesses unparalleled expertise in the field of law, achieving success in some of the most complex trials and appeals. His experiential understanding of both sides of the courtroom is not only rare but also invaluable for mastering the nuances of trial and appellate law.
His efforts have led to the acquittal, dismissal, or reduction of serious criminal charges for his clients, and have also resulted in substantial seven-figure civil and personal injury settlements.
News and Media
Christopher is frequently featured in the evening news broadcasts. Many of the cases that he defends have appeared in major media outlets such as NBC, ABC, CBS, and the Times-Picayune, among others.
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
Christopher Murell’s story is a testament to the power of a single voice to echo on behalf of the voiceless, a narrative of a man who, inspired by the words of Martin Luther King Jr., refuses to be silent about things that matter, changing lives and the system, one case at a time.
Education
Christopher Murell is an accomplished attorney with a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law, class of 2006, where he was an Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Fellow and served as a Research Assistant for Professor Anthony G. Amsterdam. He completed his undergraduate studies at Emory University, earning a Bachelor of Arts with Summa Cum Laude honors in 2003, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, an academic honor society that recognizes the top 10% of the class.
Other Notable Achievements
Christopher is renowned not just for a history of securing positive results for his clients, but also for achieving a significant number of acquittals in felony trials. Notably, the only case he lost as lead counsel was promptly reversed due to prosecutorial misconduct. He has a strong record of success in state and federal courts, consistently managing to get statements, evidence, and identifications suppressed. His appellate successes are unlike many attorneys in the state. Among his notable achievements, he authored briefs in Louisiana that resulted in the affirmation of an $8 million jury verdict. Christopher is renowned for handling high-profile, high-stakes cases, encompassing everything from murder charges to cases of police brutality, abuse in detention facilities, and fatalities in custody. Moreover, he is highly experienced in cross-examining a vast array of witnesses, ranging from police officers and informants to expert witnesses.
Bar Admissions
Christopher is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States and is licensed in the states of Louisiana and Georgia. He is also admitted to the Federal 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, all three federal district courts in Louisiana (Eastern, Middle, and Western), as well as all three federal district courts in Georgia (Northern, Middle, and Southern).
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