FBI Chief of Staff Paul Murphy Returns to King & Spalding

Paul Murphy has rejoined King & Spalding as a partner after serving as chief of staff to FBI Director Chris Wray for nearly two years.

Based in both the Atlanta and the Washington offices, Murphy will represent clients on special matters and government investigations, including white-collar criminal defense, civil and regulatory investigations, and internal corporate and congressional investigations.

Murphy has spent the bulk of his career at King & Spalding, with the rest of his time in government service including stints as a U.S. attorney in Georgia and with Main Justice in the nation’s capital.

“We are thrilled to have Paul back on our team,” Zach Fardon, chair of the firm’s government matters group, said in a statement.

Murphy joined King & Spalding as an associate in 1988, becoming a partner shortly before leaving to become assistant U.S. attorney in Georgia’s Southern District in 1997.

He then served as associate deputy attorney general and chief of staff for Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson, also a King & Spalding veteran.

Murphy was appointed as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia in 2004 and rejoined King & Spalding later that year.

Murphy joined the FBI in 2019, replacing King & Spalding partner Zack Harmon. While at the agency, he worked closely with Director Wray, also a King & Spalding alumnus.

“I’m so fortunate to have had a front-row seat to see King & Spalding’s growth over many years,” Murphy said in a statement. “The firm’s remarkable growth has continued during my service at the FBI, and I am excited to be rejoining my top-notch colleagues.”