McCormick & Murphy Personal Injury Lawyers: What Injured Coloradans Should Know Before Choosing a Firm

An accident can create two crises at once. There is the immediate problem—injuries, medical appointments, lost income and damaged property—and then there is the legal problem of proving who was responsible and what compensation may actually be recoverable.

That second problem can become complicated quickly in Colorado. Different claims can carry different filing deadlines, insurers may dispute fault or the severity of injuries, and Colorado’s comparative-negligence rules can directly affect a claimant’s recovery. Choosing legal representation is therefore less about advertising and more about experience, case fit, communication and the economics of hiring counsel.

McCormick & Murphy Personal Injury Lawyers, formally McCormick & Murphy, P.C., is a Colorado firm founded by Kirk R. McCormick and James “Jay” Murphy in 1995. The firm focuses heavily on personal injury and insurance disputes and currently lists offices in Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Denver.

Bottom line: McCormick & Murphy, P.C. is a Colorado personal injury law firm founded in 1995 by attorneys Kirk McCormick and James “Jay” Murphy. Its publicly stated practice includes motor-vehicle accidents, serious injuries, wrongful death, premises liability, dog attacks, traumatic brain injuries and insurance bad-faith disputes, with most personal injury matters handled on a contingency-fee basis.

The Firm’s Roots Go Back to Insurance-Side Litigation

What distinguishes the professional histories of McCormick and Murphy is that neither attorney appears to have started exclusively on the plaintiff side of personal injury litigation.

Kirk McCormick graduated from Drake University Law School and began his career as a prosecutor in Iowa. After moving to Colorado Springs in 1986, he worked on commercial litigation for Colorado Interstate Gas Company and later became a partner at Hall & Evans, where his work involved insurance-company representation. His firm biography states that he was admitted to the Colorado Bar in 1987 and has tried numerous matters before juries.

James “Jay” Murphy was licensed in California in 1989 and Colorado in 1990. Before co-founding the firm, he worked as a law clerk for the Colorado Court of Appeals and then as a litigation defense attorney representing individuals, businesses and insurance companies. His current practice focuses on serious injury and death cases, vehicle accidents, dangerous-property claims and insurance bad faith.

For an injured claimant, that history matters because insurance disputes are rarely about the medical records alone. Insurers may examine causation, prior medical conditions, treatment gaps, comparative fault, economic losses and whether future damages can be adequately documented.

Knowing how defendants and insurers evaluate those questions can potentially be useful when constructing a plaintiff’s case, although a lawyer’s résumé by itself never guarantees a particular outcome.

Three Decades in a Few Key Dates

Period	Development
1980s	Kirk McCormick begins legal work in prosecution and later commercial and insurance-related litigation.
1989-1990	James Murphy becomes licensed and moves into Colorado legal practice after working with the Colorado Court of Appeals.
1990-1995	Murphy works in litigation defense; both future founders build experience involving insurance and injury disputes.
1995	McCormick & Murphy, P.C. is formed.
Present	The firm lists offices in Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Denver and continues to concentrate on personal injury and insurance disputes.

The Cases McCormick & Murphy Says It Handles

McCormick & Murphy is not presented publicly as a general-practice firm handling every type of legal dispute. Its published materials emphasize injury litigation and insurance disputes.

Practice area	Typical legal issue
Car accidents	Negligence, liability, bodily injury and insurance compensation
Truck crashes	Driver or company negligence, serious injury and commercial insurance issues
Motorcycle accidents	Driver fault, catastrophic injuries and insurance disputes
Wrongful death	Compensation claims arising from a legally actionable death
Premises liability	Injuries linked to unsafe property conditions
Dog attacks	Liability for injuries caused by animals
Traumatic brain injuries	Medical causation, long-term treatment and future damages
Insurance bad faith	Allegations that an insurer improperly delayed, denied or handled benefits

The firm’s website also lists defective-product cases, burn injuries, nursing-home neglect and claims involving the wrongful denial of insurance benefits.

Its Colorado Springs office is listed at 929 W Colorado Ave, its Pueblo office at 301 N. Main Street, and its Denver office at 1547 N Gaylord St, Unit 303.

The firm states that it has recovered millions of dollars for Colorado clients since its formation, but that figure is a firm-reported marketing claim rather than an independently audited measure of future case value.

That distinction matters. Historical settlements and verdicts can demonstrate experience, but they cannot reliably predict what another claimant will receive.

Colorado’s Claim Deadlines Make Early Case Review Important

Personal injury cases operate under statutes of limitation. Missing an applicable deadline can prevent an otherwise valid claim from proceeding.

Colorado’s statutes do not impose one universal deadline on every injury case.

Under Colorado law, many tort actions fall under a two-year limitation period, while actions arising from the use or operation of a motor vehicle are generally subject to a three-year limitation period. The precise accrual date and applicable statutory section can depend on the facts and type of defendant.

Colorado’s General Assembly has published 2026 Colorado Revised Statutes incorporating amendments from the 2026 legislative session, making the current statutory text the appropriate starting point when evaluating a new claim.

Fault Can Reduce—or Eliminate—a Negligence Recovery

Colorado also uses a modified comparative-negligence framework.

Under the statutory rule, a claimant’s own negligence does not automatically prevent recovery when it is less than the negligence attributed to the party against whom recovery is sought. However, damages are reduced according to the claimant’s percentage of fault. When the claimant’s negligence reaches the statutory threshold described in the law, recovery can be barred.

Consider a simplified example.

If damages were assessed at $100,000 but the injured claimant were found 20% responsible, the recoverable amount could potentially be reduced to $80,000 before other legal issues are considered.

Real cases can be substantially more complicated, particularly when several drivers, companies, property owners or other parties may share responsibility.

That is one reason evidence gathered shortly after an incident—photographs, witness information, medical documentation, vehicle data, surveillance footage and insurance records—can become significant later.

The Contingency-Fee Model Changes the Upfront Cost Equation

McCormick & Murphy says most of its personal injury matters are accepted on a contingency-fee basis.

Under that structure, the firm states that attorney fees are paid when a recovery is obtained through settlement or judgment; if there is no recovery, there is no attorney fee under the described arrangement.

That does not mean prospective clients should sign an agreement without examining it carefully.

Before retaining any personal injury firm, a client should understand:

• the precise contingency percentage;
• whether the percentage changes if litigation or trial becomes necessary;
• who pays filing fees, expert costs, deposition expenses and medical-record charges;
• how litigation expenses are treated if the case is unsuccessful;
• how medical liens or reimbursement claims may affect the final amount received;
• which lawyer will actually supervise the case.

A firm’s general website description is not a substitute for the written fee agreement governing an individual representation.

How to Judge Whether McCormick & Murphy Fits a Particular Case

Experience matters, but the relevant question is not simply, “Has this lawyer practiced for many years?”

A better question is: Has the lawyer repeatedly handled the type of dispute involved in this particular claim?

For example, a relatively straightforward rear-end collision may raise different strategic questions from a traumatic brain injury case requiring neurologists, vocational experts and projected future-care evidence. An insurance bad-faith lawsuit may involve policy language and claims-handling records that would never appear in an ordinary third-party collision claim.

McCormick & Murphy’s publicly described concentration in injury and insurance disputes is therefore relevant when evaluating the firm. Both founders also have prior experience involving insurance-side litigation, while their current practice is focused primarily on representing injured claimants.

Independent professional listings provide another verification point. Martindale lists McCormick & Murphy as a Colorado Springs personal injury firm and reports peer-review information for the practice, while Avvo currently lists both Kirk McCormick and James Murphy in Pueblo under personal injury-related practice areas.

Prospective clients should still conduct their own consultation. Ask who handles day-to-day communication, how frequently case updates are provided, what similar cases the lawyer has personally taken to trial and what factual weaknesses the lawyer sees in the claim.

A useful lawyer should be able to discuss weaknesses as clearly as strengths.

The Detail That Matters More Than the Firm’s Advertising

McCormick & Murphy has a long operating history by personal injury law-firm standards: it was established in 1995, its founders have decades of legal experience, and both attorneys entered plaintiff-side representation after earlier work that included insurance or defense litigation. Those are meaningful facts, not guarantees.

For an injured person, the decisive issue should be whether the firm’s experience matches the claim at hand.

A serious personal injury case may involve medical causation, future treatment costs, insurance coverage, lost earnings, comparative negligence and strict filing deadlines simultaneously. A consultation should therefore produce more than reassurance. It should clarify the possible defendants, applicable insurance coverage, evidence that needs preservation, likely legal deadline, expected costs and major weaknesses in the case.

That is the standard by which McCormick & Murphy—or any personal injury law firm—should ultimately be judged.

FAQs

What is McCormick & Murphy Personal Injury Lawyers?

McCormick & Murphy Personal Injury Lawyers is McCormick & Murphy, P.C., a Colorado law firm founded in 1995 by Kirk R. McCormick and James “Jay” Murphy. The practice concentrates on personal injury litigation and insurance disputes, including vehicle accidents, serious injuries, wrongful death, premises liability and insurance bad-faith claims.

Where is McCormick & Murphy located?

McCormick & Murphy currently lists three Colorado offices: Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Denver. The addresses published by the firm are 929 W Colorado Ave in Colorado Springs, 301 N. Main Street in Pueblo, and 1547 N Gaylord St, Unit 303 in Denver.

Does McCormick & Murphy charge upfront attorney fees?

McCormick & Murphy states that most personal injury claims are handled on a contingency-fee basis, meaning attorney fees are tied to obtaining compensation for the client. Prospective clients should nevertheless review the actual written agreement carefully because case expenses, percentages and other contractual terms can vary.

Who founded McCormick & Murphy?

Kirk R. McCormick and James “Jay” Murphy founded McCormick & Murphy, P.C. in 1995. Both had litigation experience before forming the practice, including work involving insurance companies. Their current biographies describe decades of experience in Colorado injury and insurance litigation.

What types of personal injury cases does the firm handle?

McCormick & Murphy lists car and truck accidents, motorcycle crashes, wrongful death, premises liability, dog attacks, traumatic brain injury, defective-product injuries, serious injuries and insurance bad-faith disputes among its practice areas. Whether a particular matter will be accepted depends on its facts and the firm’s case evaluation.

How long do Colorado accident victims have to file a lawsuit?

There is no single deadline covering every Colorado injury claim. Many tort claims generally carry a two-year limitation period, while certain claims arising from motor-vehicle use or operation generally fall under a three-year period. Exceptions and different accrual rules may apply, so the specific deadline should be determined from the current statute and individual facts.

Editorial Disclaimer

This article is an independent informational profile and is not legal advice, an endorsement, or a prediction of case results. Firm-reported experience, recoveries and service claims should be distinguished from independently verified court records. Laws, deadlines and procedural rules can change, and individual claims may involve exceptions; anyone facing a potential legal deadline should obtain advice from a qualified attorney based on the specific facts of the matter.

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