Prya Murad

Prya Murad has dedicated her career to fighting on behalf of people accused of crimes by the Government. Prya realized very early in her law school career that criminal defense is her passion. Once she realized that her life's work would be advocating for people's freedom, she began interning at the Cook County Public Defender's Office in Chicago, IL. Since then, she has represented children and adults charged with crimes in state and federal courts in Chicago; the Bay Area, California; and South Florida.

Prya's speciality is trial advocacy. In law school, Prya was selected as one of 10 students out of 100 applicants to be a part of the prestigious Philip H. Corboy Fellowship in Trial Advocacy. As a Fellow, Prya received intensive training in trial advocacy. This training set the foundation for a successful career in the courtroom. She has conducted jury trials for everything from driving under the influence to gun charges to sex crimes to homicide. Her skills have garnered the respect of judges and attorneys around the country.

Prya has taught at programs for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. She has also taught trial advocacy at Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, CA; Florida International University Law School in Miami, FL; and Loyola University Chicago School of Law in Chicago, IL. She is currently an Adjunct Professor of Professional Identity Formation at Loyola University Chicago.

Prya is a leader in the legal community. She is currently the co-chair for the Diversity and Membership committee for the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and is an active member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She is often asked to speak on panels for young and aspiring criminal defense attorneys.

Prya is committed to advocacy inside and outside of court. She has published several articles such as "Give Juveniles Their Due" in The Marshall Project and "#MeToo, Persky, and the erosion of mercy in criminal justice" for The Mercury Times. She is often asked to provide information to reporters for articles about the criminal court system. Most recently, she spoke out about protecting the rights of the accused during COVID-19 pandemic in "Public Defenders Speak Out About the Tolls of COVID-19" in Law360. She collaborates with Zealous, an organization dedicated to training public defenders in out-of-court media advocacy and elevating the stories of people directly impacted by the criminal punishment system.

Prya found her calling early in her legal career. She stepped foot in a courtroom as a defender and never left. She truly believes she has the best career in the world.