Judge Michael H. Murphy, III, the son of a Navy veteran, and youngest of five siblings, was born at Tripler Army Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. The stay in Hawaii did not last long. His father was soon transferred to the Naval Weapons Station in Goose Creek, South Carolina.  His father would retire several years later, and Judge Murphy grew up calling the Lowcountry home.

He would earn his high school diploma from Summerville High School in 1989.  He entered The Citadel and found himself in Third Battalion, also known as the “Law Barracks,” and earned his degree in May of 1993. 

Judge Murphy entered Mississippi College School of Law in fall of 1995. Graduating in two and a half years, he took the Bar Exam in February 1998 and became an attorney on May 11, 1998. Starting at a personal injury law firm, he quickly sought more trial experience. This was granted when he found employment with the Berkeley County Solicitor’s Office. While there, he prosecuted cases ranging from forgery to murder.

After gaining valuable trial experience, he left the Solicitor’s office for private practice.  Prior to being elected, he has practiced for the last twenty years with an emphasis in domestic law. As a contract attorney, he represented the Department of Social Services in child abuse and neglect cases. 

He served as a Summerville Municipal Judge from 2015 to 2019 and Dorchester County Magistrate from 2020 until becoming a Family Court judge.

He is a member of the Dorchester County Bar, Berkeley County Bar, South Carolina Bar, and is admitted to practice in the United States District Court of the District of South Carolina and United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

On the military side, he began his career in 1989 as an enlisted member. Starting with an infantry background he received a direct commission into the Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG) in 2000. He is currently a Colonel and sits as the military judge for South Carolina. He is a veteran with two overseas deployments.

He has been married to Karin since 1996 and has three boys. He enjoys running various races and saltwater fishing. When lucky, he can filet his own catch.