What Murchison & Cumming, LLP does

Murchison & Cumming, LLP is a private, AV-rated civil litigation defense firm founded in 1930 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The firm represents domestic and international businesses, insurance carriers, public entities, and individuals in trial and appellate matters across California and Nevada, with five offices in Los Angeles, Irvine, San Diego, Walnut Creek, and Las Vegas. Practice areas span product liability defense, hospitality and retail liability (premises, foodborne illness, Legionella, ADA), insurance coverage and bad faith, employment litigation, business and real estate transactions, and appellate work, including arguments before the California Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The firm operates on a fee-for-service professional services model, billing clients per engagement with no publicly disclosed rates. Client acquisition is driven by partner-led relationships, attorney credentials, and peer referrals; the AV Martindale-Hubbell rating, AmLaw 500 'Go To' recognition, and Super Lawyers designations serve as primary trust signals. The firm has been a member of USLAW NETWORK since 2002, with parallel memberships in Insuralex Networks and access to TELFA and ALN Limited, providing cross-jurisdictional referral infrastructure. Headcount is reported at 501-1,000 employees, and the firm appears to be partner-controlled with no private equity or external ownership.

The underlying technology stack is not described in the source material beyond standard law firm operations — there is no proprietary platform, and the firm's competitive position is built on attorney talent, reputational credentials, and network reach rather than on technology differentiation. Notable client outcomes referenced include a defense verdict after a 50-minute jury deliberation in a personal injury case with over $2 million in claimed damages and a $6.7 million recovery in complex construction-related litigation involving 24 contractors and subcontractors.

Name

Murchison & Cumming, LLP

Legal name

Murchison & Cumming, LLP

Website

https://murchisonlaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Murchison & Cumming, LLP is a private, AV-rated civil litigation defense firm founded in 1930 with five offices in California and Nevada, representing businesses, insurers, public entities, and individuals in trial and appellate matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services (Civil Litigation Defense)

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law (BPAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Civil litigation defense
• Product liability defense
• Insurance coverage litigation
• Appellate law services
• Hospitality law

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: The firm generates revenue by providing civil litigation legal services, including trial and appellate representation, to domestic and international businesses, insurers, and individuals. Services are billed on a fee-for-service basis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Murchison & Cumming, LLP is a civil litigation law firm defending domestic and international businesses, insurers, and individuals at trial and on appeal in California and Nevada. It provides fee-for-service legal representation across product liability, insurance, hospitality, employment, appellate, and business transaction matters.

Product overview

Murchison & Cumming, LLP is a premier, AV-rated civil litigation law firm providing legal services through five offices in California (Los Angeles, Irvine, San Diego, Northern California) and Las Vegas, Nevada. The firm specializes in the defense of domestic and international businesses, insurers, and individuals at trial and on appeal. Core service offerings include civil litigation legal services, product liability defense, hospitality law, insurance law, business transactions, employment matters, and appellate law services. The firm has a history dating to 1930 and is a member of the USLAW and Insuralex Networks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Litigation Legal Services Full-service civil litigation representation for domestic and international businesses, insurers, and individuals at trial and on appeal in California and Nevada courts.
• Product Liability Defense Defense of product liability claims including manufacturing defects, design defects, and failure-to-warn cases for manufacturers and distributors.
• Hospitality Law Practice Legal services for the hospitality and travel industry including premises liability, foodborne illness, Legionella, toxic torts, civil rights, and ADA compliance matters.
• Insurance Law Services Insurance coverage, bad faith, and complex civil litigation matters involving product liability, mass tort claims, and environmental matters for insurers.
• Business Transactions Corporate and real estate transactional and financing matters including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and commercial contracts.
• Employment Law Matters Employment litigation and related matters for employers and corporations.
• Appellate Law Services Appellate practice including over 200 appeals and writ petitions, with arguments before the California Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Defense verdict after 50-minute jury deliberation in a personal injury case with over $2 million in claimed damages.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• USLAW NETWORKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMurchison & Cumming has been a member of USLAW NETWORK since 2002. USLAW NETWORK comprises 64 independent, defense-based law firms with over 4,000 attorneys covering the United States and Latin America, with over 150 offices in 47 US states. The firm also has alliance access through Trans-European Law Firm Alliance (TELFA) covering 25 European jurisdictions and ALN Limited covering 10 firms in East and Central Africa.
• Insuralex NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMurchison & Cumming is a member of the Insuralex Networks, an international association of insurance and reinsurance law firms, providing cross-border expertise and referral relationships in insurance law matters.
• International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMurchison & Cumming attorney Steven C. Spronz serves as a volunteer with ISLP, teaching commercial law to South African lawyers in a program jointly sponsored by the Black Lawyers Association of South Africa and the American Bar Association's Senior Lawyers Division since 2004.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Clyde & Co: Global insurance and reinsurance law firm with a strong US presence, particularly in California. Competes for the same insurance carrier clients and cross-border insurance coverage matters that Murchison handles via Insuralex.
• Sedgwick LLP: National insurance defense firm with significant California presence, providing direct competition for the same insurance panel work, product liability, and coverage matters.

Emerging players

• Robins Kaplan: National litigation firm with a growing California presence and active insurance and product liability practices, providing indirect competition for high-stakes defense matters and trial work.

Direct peers

• Bullivant Houser Bailey: West Coast-based defense litigation firm with comparable practice areas in insurance defense, product liability, and commercial disputes. Competes in the Pacific Northwest and California markets.
• Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani: Largest insurance defense firm in the US, founded in California, with a comparable model of regional defense litigation across CA, NV, and beyond. Directly competes for the same insurance carrier panels and defense matters.
• Manning & Kass Ellrod Ramirez Trester: California-based litigation firm with comparable practice areas in insurance defense, professional liability, and civil trial work. Direct competitor in the CA/NV defense market.
• Tyson & Mendes: California-headquartered insurance and civil litigation defense firm known for its results-driven defense methodology. Direct competitor in insurance defense, premises liability, and product liability in CA and NV.
• Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith: One of the largest US defense litigation firms with deep California and Nevada presence, competing directly with Murchison & Cumming for insurance defense, product liability, and general liability panel work in the western US.
• Haight Brown & Bonesteel: California-based defense litigation firm with comparable practice mix in insurance defense, product liability, and commercial litigation. Direct competitor in the Southern California legal market.
• Selman Breitman: California-based civil litigation defense firm with overlapping practice areas in insurance defense, product liability, and transportation. Direct competitor in the western US defense bar.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/murchisonlaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/murchisoncumming
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/murchison-&-cumming

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles27 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Murchison & Cumming, LLP