CURRICULUM VITAE - MATTHEW M. MURDOCK, ATTORNEY-AT-LAW

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19th December 2024

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Matthew M. Murdock, Attorney-At-Law

Law Firm / Position	Appearances
Nelson & Murdock	Daredevil (1st series) #1-48
After graduating law school together, Matthew “Matt” Murdock and Franklin “Foggy” Nelson went from roommates to business partners as they opened their own law firm. Nelson & Murdock primarily dealt in criminal defense, although they dabbled in other work to pay the bills such as contracts, drafting leases and civil property disputes. Despite their youth, the two attorneys rapidly became famous in the area for their exceptional legal skills and success record. Murdock was the flashier of the two partners, with a magnetic courtroom presence and gift for oration, as well as his quick thinking in cornering witnesses on the stand and uncovering lies. Meanwhile, Foggy Nelson boasted a thorough understanding of the law, an encyclopedic knowledge of statutes and legal precedent that made him the underappreciated workhorse of the firm. The original partnership of Nelson & Murdock dissolved once Foggy was elected as Manhattan’s District Attorney.
District Attorney’s Office	Daredevil (1st series) #58-83
After Foggy’s election, Daredevil went through a brief period where he faked Matt Murdock’s death and went underground living solely as Daredevil. He quickly reversed course, re-established his legal identity and joined Foggy’s office as a Special Assistant to the D.A. Now, Matt was prosecuting criminals instead of defending them, often assisting the D.A.’s office covertly as Daredevil. His relationship with Foggy (both personal and professional) took a bad turn when Foggy prosecuted the Black Widow for the alleged murder of the Scorpion. Matt refused to help railroad Madame Natasha and quit the D.A.’s office to defend her from those charges. Eventually, it was revealed that a man named Mr. Kline had blackmailed Foggy into that decision, and the “man” Natasha supposedly killed was actually an android. Foggy and Matt tentatively made peace, but the damage was done and Matt soon left New York and moved out west to San Francisco with Natasha.
Broderick, Sloan & Murdock	Daredevil (1st series) #95-108
Once he made it out to San Francisco, Matt presumably passed the California Bar behind the scenes in order to practice in that state. His old law school classmate Larry Cranston first began calling upon him for work at the firm of Broderick, Sloan & Cranston in #88. Cranston was revealed as the super-villain Mister Fear and supposedly died in #91, but senior partner Jason Sloan continued to court Murdock and eventually Matt’s name was added to the firm when he started in #95. However, he almost immediately began to clash with the instructions of the remote founding partner Kerwin J. Broderick regarding his first case. Broderick was revealed to be a madman involved with organized crime and scheming to be emperor of San Francisco. He died after bonding with an alien entity called Terrex, Jason Sloan went into hiding out of guilt and shame, and Matt Murdock was soon called back to New York, ending their firm.
District Attorney’s Assistant	Daredevil (1st series) #108-119
When Foggy Nelson was shot by agents of Black Spectre, Matt Murdock returned to New York to see to his best friend’s recovery. Foggy spent some time in the hospital and doing rehabilitation, leaving Matt in charge of the day-to-day operation of the District Attorney’s Office and its investigations. However, this was apparently only a temporary appointment, and Matt was not hired back full-time. Once Foggy was on his feet again and running for re-election, Matt was no longer directly involved with the D.A.’s office, and actively claimed to be unemployed and looking for work in #125.
The Storefront Legal Services	Daredevil (1st series) #130-174
At the encouragement of Heather Glenn, Matt opened a legal aid clinic, getting back to his roots of using the law to help people in need. Foggy soon joined him after losing the re-election for D.A., and they eventually hired Becky Blake as a long-term secretary. The Storefront was designed to provide free legal services to welfare clients, although Matt and Foggy also took paying clients occasionally. The office and expenses were originally covered by Heather’s father Maxwell Glenn and Glenn Industries, but Glenn’s downfall as a pawn of the Purple Man apparently ended that revenue. Foggy Nelson set up a government grant to keep the lights on, but it was later cut. With only the free services in action and no new sponsors or paying clients, the Storefront was forced to close its doors.
Nelson & Murdock II	Daredevil (1st series) #177-225
After the Storefront fell, Foggy felt responsible and went to work redeeming himself as a partner. He and Matt opened a new office downtown thanks to an advance by their first client, J. Jonah Jameson. Becky Blake came along as their secretary. However, Nelson & Murdock made a series of publicly bad decisions. At Debbie Harris-Nelson’s insistence, their representation of Micah Synn proved to be a disaster. Not only did Foggy’s marriage fall apart, but the partners publicly accused each other of lying over Synn and severely damaged their reputation. Matt was already neglectful of the business before Heather Glenn’s suicide drove him further into his escapism as Daredevil. Despite Foggy’s solo efforts, the clients dried up, the money stopped coming in and the partnership crumbled. (It’s possible Wilson Fisk’s efforts to destroy Murdock’s life had already begun at this point, keeping potential clients away.)
The Hotline	Daredevil (1st series) #248-263
Matt Murdock’s life was wrecked by the Kingpin when he learned Daredevil’s identity, including setting him up for crimes which cost him his license to practice law. He retreated into Hell’s Kitchen with Karen Page, working at a diner for a short time. Karen encouraged him to use his legal knowledge for good, though, even if he wasn’t practicing law. She set up a local Drug Hotline & Legal Aid Clinic. As a former user, Karen wanted to reach out and offer a safe space for those intent on getting clean. Matt couldn’t practice law in court, but he could ghost-lawyer, helping other people with paperwork to assert their rights as needed. Like the Storefront, Karen applied for a government grant to support their efforts, and rented the mostly empty warehouse space for parties. When Kingpin and Typhoid Mary interfered on Daredevil’s life again, Matt and Karen’s relationship fell apart and the Hotline collapsed quickly after.
Nelson & Murdock III	Daredevil (1st series) #301-325
Foggy Nelson worked tirelessly to build a case which reversed the New York Bar’s decision and restored Matt Murdock’s license to practice. He was successful in part thanks to AUSA Kathy Malper, who assembled a Federal case against Fisk. She also helped the re-opening Nelson & Murdock firm with new office space. Located at Worldwide Plaza, the rent was paid months in advance by an indicted federal defendant and repossessed by the government. Despite all this, there was little evidence Matt Murdock learned from his past mistakes. He still ignored Foggy’s concerns about managing his caseload and took pro bono cases to follow his pursuit of justice rather than financial security. Their partnership was already facing difficulties again when Matt faked his death following the fiasco with the “About Face” virus.
Sharpe, Nelson & Murdock	Daredevil (1st series) #353-380, Daredevil (2nd series) #1-3
Foggy technically kept “Nelson & Murdock” open as a law firm until Matt returned from the dead, finally revealing his secret identity to his best friend in the process. They were in the middle of rebuilding their trust and friendship when famous Boston attorney Rosalind Sharpe moved to New York and offered to merge her firm with theirs. Foggy immediately accepted without reservation and Matt was forced to go along with it to honor Foggy’s wishes. In time, Matt learned “Razor” Sharpe was Franklin’s biological mother. The firm of Sharpe, Nelson & Murdock operated until Mysterio began his plan to tear apart Matt Murdock’s life. Foggy was arrested for murder surrounding an illicit affair, leading Rosalind to order Matt to put distance between them, “for the good of the firm.” Matt naturally refused and dissolved their partnership to continue supporting Foggy.
Nelson & Murdock IV	Daredevil (2nd series) #8-93
After Mysterio’s scheme ended, Matt and Foggy decided to go back into business for themselves. Matt was the beneficiary of Karen’s life insurance policy, which was substantial. Her last wishes were for him to spend it on something selfish, rather than charity, so he put the money into their firm. Nelson & Murdock’s office was rebuilt on the empty lot of Matt’s old brownstone, blown up by Kingpin years earlier. Matt would live upstairs (and had a secret gym in the basement), while the law firm operated out of the ground floor. It was this incarnation of Nelson & Murdock which weathered the ongoing storm of his secret identity being revealed to the public.
Nelson, Blake & Murdock	Daredevil (2nd series) #93-118
Nelson & Murdock was virtually over in Daredevil (2nd series) #81-82 when Murdock went to prison for federal crimes related to being Daredevil and Nelson was seemingly killed in a prison attack, only to be swept into Witness Protection. Fortunately, Foggy had the foresight to rehire Becky Blake just before his assault. Becky had completed law school by this point and, after Nelson & Murdock reunited, they extended a partnership offer to her. They relocated, with Matt moving to a private brownstone while the law offices occupied a second, unlisted address. Thanks to their relative fame and notoriety, the law firm could survive on only referrals without having open doors for “drop-in” clients. Matt’s life did not settle down, however. In a matter of weeks, he drove away the firm’s investigator Dakota North by sleeping with her, monopolized their time fighting over custody of his now-insane wife Milla with her parents, and then abandoned the firm entirely to retreat into Daredevil business with Kingpin and the Hand. Foggy finally got fed up with Matt’s antics and fired him from the law firm. Foggy was temporarily disbarred shortly afterwards, and Becky Blake grew so disillusioned with Matt after Shadowland that she left the city.
Nelson & Murdock V	Daredevil (3rd series) #1-36
After purging the evil of the Beast from his system, Matt went on walkabout but eventually returned to Foggy Nelson and New York. They restarted their firm again but continued to run into trouble with the persisting “rumors” of Matt being Daredevil affecting their cases. Consequently, they changed the focus of their law firm into acting as “consulting counselors,” teaching potential clients how to advocate for themselves in court without Nelson & Murdock acting as a distraction for the judge, jury and opposing counsel. This business model ended (as did their careers) when Matt publicly confirmed he was Daredevil while under oath. Everything from the Daily Globe lawsuit to numerous other ethics violations led to both Nelson and Murdock being disbarred and unable to practice law in New York.
McDuffie & Murdock	Daredevil (4th series) #1-18
Matt Murdock was re-licensed to practice law in California, moving out to San Francisco with Kirsten McDuffie to open their own practice. Foggy had faked his death to undergo his cancer treatment in secret without drawing flak from Daredevil’s enemies. They struggled to make ends meet, though, given Matt’s second occupation and the price of Foggy’s medical bills. Their firm’s reputation was tanked when the Owl secretly recorded all their private attorney-client meetings and broadcast the privileged information over the airwaves.
District Attorney’s Office	Daredevil (5th series) #1-28, Daredevil (1st series) #595-596
Once his secret identity was restored, Matt Murdock got his license to practice law in New York reinstated since nobody could remember why he was disbarred anymore. Matt had long term goals to expand the confidential informant rule for witnesses to include masked heroes, and so he took a job at the District Attorney’s Office so he could best position himself to try a case of first impression. Murdock successfully argued the Slugansky Rule up to the Supreme Court and had it enshrined under constitutional law. When Wilson Fisk was voted in as Mayor of New York, however, he ordered the D.A.’s Office to crack down on vigilantes. Rather than leading an anti-Daredevil task force, Matt resigned from the office.
Deputy / Acting Mayor	Daredevil (1st series) #597-605
Surprisingly, Mayor Wilson Fisk offered Matt Murdock a place in his administration as deputy mayor. This token gesture was intended to smooth over concerns about Fisk’s criminal past, welcoming an attorney renowned for campaigning against the Kingpin. Matt accepted the job in the hopes of some influence over policy, but Fisk primarily used him for photo ops and relegating him to monotonous reviews of civil procedure. Matt was shocked to find himself in command of the city when the Hand attacked New York and Fisk was hospitalized. Although New York’s chain of succession normally did not raise the deputy mayor when the mayor was incapacitated, an obscure law passed by the previous administration did exactly that. Matt Murdock oversaw a city under siege for nearly four days before the Hand were dealt with and Fisk recovered. He was fired from the administration as Kingpin resumed control.
Parole Officer	Daredevil (6th series) #6-24
After leaving the mayor’s office, Matt never got back into the practice of law. His vendetta against Fisk, truck accident and physical therapy, and the ultimate collapse of his career as Daredevil kept him unemployed. Matt chose a new direction for his life and wanted to help criminals as people, leading them back to being productive members of society. This job mostly set him up to meet Joey, a parolee and brother of Leo Carraro, the man whom Matt accidentally killed. When Matt found a new focus for his efforts, though, he started taking leave from his job beginning with issue #14. By the time he decided Daredevil should go to prison for Leo’s death, he officially quit the parole office in issue #24.