John P. Murrill

Taylor Porter Partner John Murrill’s practice is concentrated in the fields of higher education law, government purchasing, procurement and contract law, and general commercial litigation. He has successfully defended clients in state and federal court in all stages of litigation at the district court and appellate court levels, including The Supreme Court of the United States. He has been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America in mass tort litigation / class actions – defendants.

John has extensive experience representing parties in procurement disputes, including both administrative protests and appeals as well as lawsuits. He has represented parties protesting the decision to award to someone else; represented winning bidders defending their award from the protest of others; represented State agencies defending their decisions from the protest of others; and assisted State agencies in making emergency and sole-source procurements. He has served as a hearing officer adjudicating protests of others.

Mr. Murrill serves as co-chair of Taylor Porter’s business and commercial litigation practice and also as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.

He is admitted to practice before all Louisiana state courts, the United States District Courts for the Middle, Eastern, and Western Districts, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Federal Circuits, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Murrill is a member of the Baton Rouge Bar Association, the Louisiana State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, and the American Health Lawyers Association.

Mr. Murrill graduated, cum laude, with a B.S. from the University of Mississippi in 1986. After graduating from Ole Miss, he worked for 6-years in Atlanta as a computer analyst before returning to law school. Mr. Murrill received his J.D. in 1995 from the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, where he is a member of the LSU Law Center Hall of Fame. He was a member of the Order of the Coif and managing editor of the Louisiana Law Review. After graduating from law school, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Frank J. Polozola, United States District Judge for the Middle District of Louisiana.

Mr. Murrill is actively involved in the Baton Rouge community. He is a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award from the Istrouma Area Council Boy Scouts of America, the council-level’s adult volunteer distinguished service award that honors registered Scouters who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council and to those who implement the Scouting program and perform community service through hard work, self-sacrifice, dedication, and many years of service.

Mr. Murrill previously served as president of the Istrouma Area Council, is the immediate past president and chair of the Nominating Committee, has served for many years as legal adviser to the Council, and has served throughout the years on various committees at the board level. He has been a member of the Board of Directors for 9-years. In addition to his service on the board, he and his wife, Liz, have been active at the Troop and Pack level. In addition, Murrill is a former president and member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of LSU Hilltop Arboretum and just completed a term as a member of the governing board of University Baptist Church.

He and his wife, Liz, have four children. 

• Served as part of the team of Taylor Porter attorneys that restructured the operations of the statewide public hospital system into a public-private hospital model, including the negotiation of multiple cooperative endeavor agreements, facility and equipment leases, service agreements, and other ancillary contracts.
• Successfully defended a marine motor manufacturer from claims of patent infringement, including through a multi-phase trial in federal court and subsequent appeal to the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Successfully defended a large specialty telecommunications company from an administrative procurement protest and subsequent civil litigation and appeal instituted by an unsuccessful bidder, extending over a period of many years.
• Served as lead counsel in a toxic tort / chemical exposure case for a team of trial attorneys that tried the damage claims of 150 plaintiffs over a five-week period, then tried the damage claims of another 100 plaintiffs over a four-week period.

• Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, J.D., 1995
• University of Mississippi, B.S., cum laude, 1986

• Louisiana, 1995

• Baton Rouge Bar Association
• Louisiana State Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)

• Best Lawyers in America – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants

• Istrouma Area Council Boy Scouts of America (Silver Beaver Award Recipient)
• Istrouma Area Council (Past President, Current Past President and Chair of the Nominating Committee, Past Legal Adviser)
• LSU Hilltop Arboretum (Past President and Board Member)
• University Baptist Church (Governing Board Member)