In an extended piece of commentary, this weeks featured guest on Speaking of Justice-Weekend edition, the Legal Broadcast Network's showcase of the nations top lawyers, is Attorney Billy Murphy. Known nationally as one of the premier criminal defense attorney's practicing law today, Attorney Murphy is also recognized as one of the most passionate advocates of civil liberties and an astute commentator on the legal scene. 

This podcast interview with Scott Drake of LBN and Billy Murphy took place a few days after the resignation of N.Y. Governor and former Attorney General Eliot Spitzer as a result of his being exposed in an online prostitution ring. Unlike most of the media coverage that was gloating, sarcastic and focusing on the lurid elements of the hooker with whom he had the liaison, this extended podcast looks at the cost of this resignation to the people and taxpayers of New York.  If you are looking for thoughtful, provocative and unvarnished analysis of what this spectacle was really all about, you absolutely want to listen to this podcast with Billy Murphy. While Governor Spitzer certainly visited this personal tragedy upon himself through his actions, Billy looks at the larger issues of what exactly has become of the American concept of privacy in a world where banks are required by FINRA and other federal agencies to report cash flows as small as a few thousand dollars on the pretext of looking for terrorists and drug dealers, but instead turn the enforcement arm of the US Justice system on citizens engaged in behaviors that are typically misdemeanors.

This is a fascinating and engaging conversation and if you are tired of the tabloid TV coverage on Eliot Spitzer you will want to listen to this podcast from start to finish.

A member of the Board of Governors of the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association and the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the recipient of the inaugural Charles Hamilton Houston Award for Lifetime Achievement in Litigation, the Murphy Firm's founder and senior partner, Judge William H. "Billy" Murphy, Jr., graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1965 and a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1969 where he was a member of the Law Review.  He has practiced law for over thirty years, including three years as a judge on the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, the highest level Maryland trial court. Judge Murphy has tried numerous high-profile criminal and civil cases including some of the most celebrated criminal and civil cases in Maryland history. Making history comes naturally to Judge Murphy, as he comes from one of the most distinguished African-American families in the country. His father, William H. Murphy, Sr., was one of the first African-American judges in Maryland. His great-grandfather, founded the Afro-American Newspaper. His sister, Laura Murphy, is a top lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union and heads their Washington D.C. office.

You can look forward to more commentary in the future from this legal legend and one of the nations most provocative and thoughtful legal minds. If you are tired of the same old TV talking heads on what pass for legal shows on the networks, check out Attorney Billy Murphy here on LBN for a breath of fresh air.