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Michael G. Murray, P.A.: A Former Public Defender Now Fights Deportation From the Criminal Side

Before opening his immigration practice, Michael Murray spent two years as a criminal defense attorney at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office, serving as counsel of record in more than 80 trials — courtroom experience he now applies to the criminal-immigration intersection, representing immigrants seeking post-conviction relief and criminal waivers alongside standard family and humanitarian cases.

At a Glance: This Austin Immigration Lawyer’s Credentials

I. From Public Defender to Immigration Attorney

Murray earned his B.A. cum laude from the University of Florida, a Master’s from Emerson College in Boston, and his J.D. from St. Thomas School of Law in Miami, where he received the Book Award in Criminal Procedure, Trial Advocacy, Interviewing, Counseling and Negotiating, and Immigration Law Clinic — his clinic thesis specifically addressed criminal waivers for immigrants convicted of violent crimes. Before opening his own practice, he spent two years as a criminal defense attorney at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office, serving as counsel of record in more than 80 trials for juveniles and adults facing misdemeanor and felony charges. He is admitted to practice in Florida and Texas state courts, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and both the Florida and Texas Supreme Courts. Frank Murray, his of-counsel colleague, has practiced Miami immigration law for more than 45 years and has helped tens of thousands of clients obtain green cards and citizenship.

II. Practice Concentration

The firm’s core focus is family-based visas, naturalization, waivers, deportation defense, VAWA protections, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status cases. Murray’s combined immigration and criminal-defense background gives the firm particular depth representing immigrants in criminal court seeking post-conviction relief — a specialty niche connecting his public-defender trial experience directly to his immigration practice.

III. Track Record

Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. Awesome Attorneys did not locate a published, itemized results table.

Client testimonials describe specific outcomes, including a business dispute in which the firm’s approach reportedly invalidated a vendor’s claims and saved the client legal fees, and a narcotics-possession referral the firm reportedly resolved without leaving a mark on the client’s permanent record. Awesome Attorneys was unable to independently verify these specific case outcomes or firm-wide aggregate statistics and discloses that gap directly.

IV. Client Voice

The firm holds a 5.0-star rating across 19 Avvo reviews and a comparable 148-review Birdeye profile, with clients describing Murray as personable, professional, and genuinely interested in clients “as people” rather than case files, including for clients who never physically visited the Austin office and handled their entire case remotely. Awesome Attorneys did not identify a pattern of negative reviews for this firm.

V. Beyond the Courtroom

Awesome Attorneys did not locate specific pro bono or civic-leadership credentials for Murray beyond his professional trial and immigration-law background. His combined criminal-defense public-service background (Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office) is itself a form of public-interest legal work.

VI. Recognition

Awesome Attorneys did not identify Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification for Murray and does not use the term “specialist” to describe him. His standing rests on 15-plus years of immigration practice, prior public-defender trial experience, and a strong, sizable independent review base rather than peer-conferred legal-directory awards.

VII. The Immigration Legal Backdrop

Immigration law is governed almost entirely by federal rather than Texas state law. Certain criminal convictions trigger deportability or inadmissibility grounds under the Immigration and Nationality Act, making the interaction between state criminal proceedings and federal immigration consequences a distinct area of practice; VAWA self-petitions allow abused spouses and children of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents to petition independently; and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status requires a state juvenile court finding regarding parental abuse, abandonment, or neglect before USCIS can grant the underlying immigration benefit.

VIII. Awesome Attorneys Assessment: This Austin Immigration Lawyer’s Strengths and Limits

Michael Murray’s genuine, independently verifiable public-defender trial background gives this firm real depth at the criminal-immigration intersection — representing immigrants seeking post-conviction relief and criminal waivers is a specialized skill set most general immigration practices do not have, and his large, consistently positive review base across both Avvo and Birdeye supports the firm’s claimed client-service quality.

The honest limitation: with law offices in both Austin and Miami, prospective clients should confirm which attorney will personally handle their matter and whether it will proceed primarily virtually, as at least one client review describes a fully remote engagement without an in-person office visit.

IX. Methodology & Sourcing

This profile was compiled from the firm’s own website (austinimmigrationlawyer.com), Michael Murray’s Avvo and Cornell LII attorney profiles, and third-party review platforms including Birdeye, Yelp, TrustAnalytica, and AttorneyAtLaw.com. No case results, credentials, or quotes were invented; specific client-testimonial outcomes are attributed as client accounts rather than independently verified facts.

Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Michael G. Murray, P.A. prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placements clearly labeled as such, but no payment of any kind determines inclusion in, or the content of, this editorial profile. This article is for informational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader and Michael G. Murray, P.A. or Awesome Attorneys.