The entry of prominent trial attorney William H. “Billy” Murphy Jr. as a representative of “Defendant Mayor and City Council of Baltimore” brings a new dimension to the battle between Mayor Brandon Scott and Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming.

Murphy is giving legal advice to the mayor over an issue that appears to be moot or soon to be moot – a civil “contempt of court” motion by Cumming’s lawyers for failure to provide the IG with online access to city records (latest here).

Although it has not been officially confirmed by either party, online access has been restored, at least for now, as ordered by the court.

So why is a big-time criminal defense lawyer engaged in such a peripheral matter?

Politics and potential criminal liability are two possibilities cited by those with knowledge of his extensive clout in Baltimore.

The 83-year-old patriarch is much more than a successful courtroom lawyer with a half century of criminal experience. He has forged close ties with generations of local politicians while maintaining an image as a civil rights champion and advocate of the underprivileged.

In 1980, he was elected to the Baltimore Circuit Court. He resigned as a judge in 1983 and unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Mayor William Donald Schaefer in the Democratic primary.

He regrouped and formed the now-thriving Murphy, Falcon & Murphy law firm.

More recently, he kickstarted the political career of Marilyn Mosby and publicly supported her during her legal troubles and federal trial.

His firm defended the “bagman” of former Mayor Catherine Pugh on an earlier campaign law infraction, won a $6.4 million settlement for Freddie Gray’s family, and personally forged peace between Mayor Scott and State’s Attorney Ivan Bates over the SideStep youth diversion program that remains in the news.

A notable campaign contributor and “bundler” for both judges and political candidates, he notched up a big victory in June by supporting Malcolm P. Ruff, a Murphy, Falcon & Murphy trial lawyer, who defeated incumbent state Senator Dalya Attar in the northwest’s 41st District.

“He has a lot of political tentacles, and Scott is now playing the politics card in regard to the inspector general,” a former top elected official said today.

“But, remember, Murphy is primarily a criminal attorney, and Scott’s people do seem very nervous about the IG’s findings of cronyism and waste in programs like SideStep that could reach a criminal stage,” the person, who asked not to be identified, continued.

“He’s very good [at portraying himself] as being in tune with the Black community. That’s something City Hall is counting on in its fight with Cumming,” said another former officeholder.

No Contract Information

Murphy did not reply to requests for an interview today. The firm’s media contact, Zachary McDaniels, did not answer questions about Murphy’s role as an attorney for the mayor, including whether he or his partners have been retained by any city officials for criminal defense.

Tonight the mayor’s office released a statement to another outlet saying, “Once the OIG filed its baseless request for a civil contempt finding, the decision was made to bring on outside counsel to prevent the appearance of any conflict for City attorneys.”

Scott’s office would not say how much Murphy or his law firm will charge the city. (City Solicitor Ebony Thompson currently has five city attorneys assigned to the inspector general lawsuit.)

The retainer agreement with Murphy was not submitted or voted on by the Board of Estimates. The city has not responded to a Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request by The Brew for a copy of the contract.

10/1/26 Update: Another Hired Gun

Court filings disclose that, in addition to Murphy, the Scott administration has hired Alvin I. “Al” Frederick to represent the city in the IG lawsuit.

Frederick specializes in representing attorneys and judges in disciplinary and negligence cases.

According to his bio, “Frederick has handled a number of groundbreaking cases in Maryland’s appellate courts crafting the current law on legal malpractice and the defense of judges before the Commission on Judicial Disabilities.”

His LinkedIn describes his practice as “representation in disciplinary and negligence matters of attorneys and judges; mediation; expert witness. In addition, he has presented risk management programs on behalf of the Court of Appeals (now the Supreme Court) on professionalism and risk management.”

• For our full coverage of the Scott-Cumming dispute.