Jerome T. Murphy Launches Ten-Point Gratitude Practice for Legal Professionals Facing High-Stakes Pressure

Palos Heights, Illinois Sep 4, 2026 (EMWNews.com) – Jerome T. Murphy, a partner with Tressler LLP in Chicago, has announced a personal gratitude practice designed to help attorneys maintain focus and resilience during the most difficult moments of complex litigation. The ten-point exercise, which Murphy has relied on throughout his civil defense career, asks legal professionals to identify ten specific things they are grateful for whenever self-doubt or mounting pressure threatens to derail their performance.

“In times of difficulty, I identify ten things for which I am grateful, and I’m immediately injected with positive energy, perspective and perseverance,” Murphy explained. The practice emerged from his work defending clients in governmental tort defense, medical malpractice, wrongful death suits, and other high-stakes matters in both state and federal courts.

Murphy’s announcement reflects a broader shift in how attorneys approach the mental demands of litigation. Rather than relying solely on technical preparation, he argues that emotional and psychological discipline form the infrastructure of consistent courtroom performance.

Why Gratitude Works Under Pressure

The practice is straightforward but deliberate. When facing a setback, an unfavorable motion ruling, or the anxiety that precedes a major argument, Murphy pauses to name ten things he is grateful for. The list can include anything from family and health to a strong case strategy or the support of colleagues.

“Professional success breeds the confidence in my personal life to take risks and challenge, and push my boundaries,” Murphy said. “Personal and professional success feed off of each other, and I strive to keep achieving both.”

The method does not eliminate obstacles. Murphy acknowledges that civil defense work often involves obtaining less than optimal results when limited by facts or law. But the gratitude exercise provides a reset, shifting attention away from catastrophic thinking and back toward the elements within an attorney’s control.

Built on a Foundation of Anticipation

Murphy’s gratitude practice complements another core principle he has adopted: preparing for the opposition’s strongest argument rather than only building his own case. Early in his career, he argued a significant motion and obtained an unfavorable result. Even though the law was against him, he had focused on presenting his client’s strongest position without fully anticipating the other side’s best counterargument.

“After that, I changed how I prepared for any significant argument, either in trial or appellate court,” Murphy said. “I now script the best counterargument the other side could make and make sure my position preempts that argument, rather than just presenting my own case.”

That anticipatory approach has become a hallmark of his practice. It requires a clear mind and the ability to step outside one’s own perspective, which is where the gratitude exercise proves useful. By resetting emotional state, Murphy creates the mental space needed to think several steps ahead.

Encouraging a Broader Adoption

Murphy is now encouraging other legal professionals to adopt the ten-point gratitude practice as a daily habit, not just a crisis tool. He believes that embedding it into regular routines can help attorneys sustain performance over the long arc of complex cases, which often stretch across months or years.

The practice aligns with his broader philosophy on goal-setting and success. Murphy does not focus on distant, abstract outcomes. Instead, he sets reasonable short-term goals that provide immediate feedback and opportunities for learning. Long-term success, he argues, is the byproduct of satisfying many small, attainable milestones.

“Success is the earned obtainment of goals,” Murphy said. “This can only be accomplished by setting reasonable and attainable goals, creating a path to them, visualizing the result and taking the necessary steps to attain it.”

Rooted in Community and Service

Murphy’s approach to law is shaped by his upbringing. He is a third-generation attorney who grew up on the south side of Chicago and later moved to Palos Heights, where his family has remained for decades. He was inspired to enter the practice by watching his grandfather, father, and uncles serve members of the community.

“I was inspired to enter the practice of law because of their great contributions to the community, family and friends,” Murphy said.

He has been recognized as an Emerging Lawyer for 2018, 2019, and 2022 from Leading Lawyer, an honor that recognizes less than two percent of lawyers under 40 years old or those practicing fewer than ten years. He was also selected by his peers in the 2023 and 2024 editions of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.

Murphy maintains that humility is essential to continued growth. “I have to remain humble and approach each client and matter as if it’s my first,” he said. “I owe it to all of my subsequent clients to demonstrate the same carefulness and concern I would for my first client.”

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About Jerome T. Murphy

Jerome T. Murphy is a partner with Tressler LLP, a national firm based in Chicago, where he serves clients in complex litigated matters including governmental tort defense, breach of contract, commercial disputes, toxic tort litigation, and defense of personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death suits. He also represents buyers and sellers in real estate transactions. Murphy holds a B.A. in Economics and a law degree, cum laude, from the University of Illinois. He resides in Palos Heights, Illinois.

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