Legal Victories
Throughout his seventeen-year career, Chris has earned a proven record of success for his clients in both trial and appellate courts throughout Louisiana and beyond.
He began his career learning from some of the best trial lawyers in the country. In particular, he had the privilege to be a team member with Henderson Hill and other experienced capital litigators where they secured a life verdict in Brian Nichols' death penalty trial for killing a judge, a court reporter, a sheriff's deputy, and an ICE agent. After moving to Louisiana, he achieved "Not Guilty" verdicts in approximately 20 felony jury trials ranging from drug possession and distribution, to armed robbery, to murder. When lead counsel, he had only one client found guilty by a jury at trial, and that conviction was quickly overturned due to prosecutorial misconduct. Additionally, he has won motions to suppress evidence, statements, and identifications in state and federal court resulting in dismissals for his clients before trial.
While at the Unglesby Law Firm, he was part of the trial team led by Lewis Unglesby that won multiple multi-million dollar verdicts for civil clients. Additionally, Chris previously served as the Executive Director of a death penalty appellate office. He argued in front of the Louisiana Supreme Court, who reversed his client's conviction and death sentence. He successfully had his clients' convictions reversed, defeated motions to dismiss federal police brutality lawsuits, and won all different sorts of civil and criminal appeals.
Meghan, a life-long Louisianian, has made a name for herself as an outspoken advocate both inside and outside the courtroom. She has secured numerous "not guilty" verdicts for her clients and has creatively and successfully argued motions to suppress evidence, identification, and statements, among other dispositive motions. She has also triumphantly argued for drastic bond reductions for her clients so they can be reunited with their families and return to their homes, jobs, and communities. Additionally, Meghan has advocated for individuals who were granted release by the parole board.
Meghan has worked on dozens of civil rights cases, including police brutality and misconduct, and jail death cases. She has helped defeat motions to dismiss, overcame motions for summary judgment, successfully litigated for attorney's fees, achieved favorable settlements, and utilized innovative litigation strategies to obtain the best results for her clients. Meghan's no-nonsense approach has earned her a reputation as being a bulldog in court, but she prides herself on always remaining compassionate, kind, and connected to clients and community.
Chris and Meghan recently served on the team that fought in federal court for the release of incarcerated children from Angola prison. They cross-examined critical witnesses, contributed to legal strategy, and were instrumental in that victory for their clients. As a result of this win, their case team will be honored at the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers's 2023 awards banquet.
When hiring the Murell Law team, you are not only getting lawyers with a tremendous record of winning cases, but you are also getting attorneys who prevail in pre-trial litigation and can reverse an adverse ruling by a judge or a jury on appeal. Very few firms can offer this combination of litigation, trial, and appellate successes and victories, all while remaining in consistent communication with clients and their families.
REPRESENTATIVE VICTORIES
Chris and Meghan secure a Not Guilty verdict on both counts In a second-degree murder case. Read more here.
All evidence against Chris's client in a federal gun case is suppressed after judge finds police violated his client's Fourth Amendment rights. Read the opinion here.
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirms an $8 million award for our client. Read the opinion here. The Louisiana Supreme Court refuses to hear Corporate Defendants' further appeal here.
After Chris argued before the Louisiana Supreme Court, his client's conviction and death sentence were overturned. Read opinion here.
We won a preliminary injunction in federal court, which caused state officials and the Office of Juvenile Justice to move incarcerated children out of Angola-- one of the deadliest prisons in America.
Following a thorough investigation, a Pointe Coupee grand jury refuses to indict Chris's client for homicide. In a separate case, our investigation convinced the St. Landry District Attorney's Office to dismiss attempted murder charges against our client.
Chris's comprehensive and exhaustive litigation compelled a large corporation to favorably settle his client's claims of sexual harrassment at the workplace.
Our trial team, led by Lewis Unglesby, won a $19 million verdict for our client in a personal injury case. Read article here.
The Louisiana Supreme Court overturned the trial court's decision to allow evidence of a prior armed robbery in Chris's client's trial on different charges. Read opinion here.
Federal court denies motion to dismiss our client's civil rights lawsuit against the Police Department that shot her in the eye, causing her to become permanently blind. Read opinion here.
As lead counsel, only one of Chris's clients has ever been found guilty at trial. After the conviction—which was reached by an 11-1 vote of jurors—he continued investigating the case. He discovered that the Orleans Parish District Attorney committed prosecutorial misconduct by hiding deals they made with the key witness against my client. Read brief here. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, over the State's objection, sent the case back to the trial court for an evidentiary hearing about this misconduct. Read order here. The State ultimately conceded that his client's conviction should be overturned.
In an asbestos case, the trial court erroneously excluded the Plaintiffs' expert that the defendant company caused the deadly mesothelioma. After being retained while at Unglesby Law, Chris took the lead on authoring an appeal where the Louisiana Supreme Court overturned the trial court and reinstated Plaintiffs' expert. Read opinion here.
Meghan gets a gun suppressed that was found by officers in her client's backpack as he smoked marijuana in the French Quarter. As a result of her win, prosecutors later dropped all charges against her client.
Meghan successfully argues for no probable cause in a sex offender case. Prosecutors then dropped all charges against her client, including charges he received while incarcerated.
Court of Appeals overturns Chris's client's guilty plea and sentence due to the State's violation of his client's speedy trial rights. Read opinion here.
Meghan secures a not-guilty verdict for a client who was accused of violently attacking his girlfriend, meticulously guiding the court through evidence proving that her client was the actual victim of his accuser's lies and attacks.
In the middle of a trial against Exxon, we won a ruling that the company's expert was to be extremely limited in the scope of her testimony. Exxon took a mid-trial appeal, and we won in the Louisiana Supreme Court, keeping the limits on its expert. Read opinion here.
Meghan secures a not-guilty verdict for a client after prosecutors needlessly dragged her case on for years and tried to coerce her into pleading guilty to something she did not do.
Court of Appeals finds Chris's client's Fourth Amendment rights against search and seizure were violated and suppresses all evidence, reversing the trial court's decision. Read opinion here.