Sandra M. Murphy

Sandra M. Murphy focuses her practice on acquisition, regulatory, enforcement, corporate governance and securities law matters for banks and other financial institutions. She also represents Community Bankers of West Virginia.

Admitted to practice in West Virginia and Virginia, Sandy has been engaged in major bank acquisitions by bank holding companies, including over 30 acquisitions in Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia by United Bankshares, West Virginia’s largest bank holding company.  She has also assisted Summit Financial Group and First Community Bankshares with their Virginia and West Virginia acquisition activities.

Sandy’s regulatory practice encompasses the representation of clients before both state and federal regulatory agencies on a wide variety of matters, including regulatory enforcement actions, corporate activity and expansion activities and compliance issues.

In the securities area, Sandy advises bank holding company clients on a variety of issues and provides ongoing legal advice to bank holding company clients registered with the Securities Exchange Commission. Sandy also provides advice to the firm's financial institutions clients on corporate governance issues.

Through her work with West Virginia's banking associations, Sandy has assisted the banking industry in its legislative efforts and has been deeply involved in the passage of significant legislation affecting the financial services industry. Most recently, Sandy advised and advocated for the industry in the passage of favorable legislation implementing sweeping changes to West Virginia consumer protection laws and West Virginia's consumer late fee laws.

Sandy and Bowles Rice have been at the forefront of critical issues and developments affecting West Virginia financial institutions.  This preeminent role has been recognized by many clients in their comments to national peer review and credentialing organizations, including the following:

"Best there is in West Virginia." (Client Comment, U.S. News & World Report's Best Law Firms)

"Sandra Murphy provides, without question, the best banking counsel in West Virginia." (Client Comment, U.S. News & World Report's Best Law Firms)

"I have worked with Sandy for over 20 years. She is, in my opinion, the top banking lawyer in WV. She has been instrumental in helping us achieve legislative changes that put us on parity with Bank Holding Companies and National Banks. Not only would I recommend her to a prospective client, I have." (Client Comment, U.S. News & World Report's Best Law Firms)

• Chair, Bowles Rice Banking and Financial Services Team
• Former member, Bowles Rice Executive Committee

Successfully completed the following banking transactions:

• The issuance of common stock in connection with private equity investment in a public client;
• A registered common stock rights offering;
• The acquisition of a bank holding company and its bankers subsidiary headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, with an approximate transaction value of $1.1 billion;
• The acquisition of a bank holding company and its Virginia banking subsidiary with an approximate transaction value of $300 million;

• The acquisition of a Virginia bank holding company and its Virginia subsidiary bank having a presence in northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., with an approximate transaction value of $912 million;

• The acquisition of a Virginia bank holding company and its Virginia subsidiary bank having a presence in northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., with an approximate transaction value of $490 million;

• The acquisition of a privately held community bank headquartered in Washington, D.C., with an approximate transaction value of $269 million;

• The acquisition of a West Virginia bank holding company and its West Virginia subsidiary bank having a presence in West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, with an approximate transaction value of $186 million;
• The acquisition of a Maryland bank holding company and its Maryland subsidiary bank having a presence in northern Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland, with an approximate transaction value of $109 million;
• The acquisition of a bank holding company headquartered in Washington, D.C. and its national bank subsidiary bank having a presence in northern Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland, with an approximate transaction value of $62.5 million;

• The sale of a West Virginia bank holding company and its West Virginia subsidiary bank having a presence in southwestern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia, with an approximate transaction value of $43 million;

• The acquisition of a Virginia bank having a presence in Richmond, Virginia, with an approximate transaction value of $40.6 million;
• The acquisition of a bank holding company and its West Virginia banking subsidiary with an approximate transaction value of $28.5 million;

• The acquisition of a Virginia bank holding company and its Virginia subsidiary bank having a presence in northwestern Virginia, with an approximate transaction value of $22 million; and

• The sale of a West Virginia community bank in southern West Virginia, with an approximate transaction value of $7.4 million.

• Named to The Best Lawyers in America ® (Banking and Finance Law; Corporate Governance Law; Corporate Compliance Law; Corporate Law; and Financial Services Regulation Law) 2003-present

• Named Best Lawyers’ Lawyer of the Year in the southern West Virginia region (Banking and Finance Law - 2020, 2017, 2015 and 2009; Corporate Law - 2023, 2018 and 2012; Financial Services Regulation Law - 2016 and 2013)

• Recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business among “Leaders in their Field” for Corporate/Commercial Law - Banking & Finance
• Peer-Review Rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell
• Recognized by Super Lawyers (Banking), 2007-present
• West Virginia Bar Foundation Fellow

• American Bar Association
• West Virginia Bar Association
• Kanawha County Bar Association

• The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (Development Committee)
• The Glotfelty Foundation (Board of Directors, Secretary)
• Education Elevator at Piedmont Elementary School
• West Virginia Symphony Chorus
• Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (Former Chair of Board of Trustees and Development Committee; Operations and Scholarship Committees)