Board Members

Desiree Murphy is a Senior Legal Counsel for Labor and Employment Law at CVS Health where she provides strategic legal advice to internal business and Human Resources partners with respect to labor and employment law. In her role, Desiree counsels and provides legal support as it relates to CVS’ compliance with a variety of federal and state labor employment laws, to include Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Desiree also serves an Adjunct Professor of Law at Umass School of Law – Dartmouth.

Desiree started her legal career in Boston, Massachusetts as a Labor Counsel in the Department of Labor Relations at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (“MBTA”), where she represented and advised management in various labor matters and disputes. Following her tenure at the MBTA, Desiree joined the firm Morgan, Brown, & Joy, LLP as an Associate, expanding her practice to the include the defense of employers from a variety of industries and jurisdictions in both labor and employment law matters, i.e., employment discrimination, wage and hour violations, breach of contract. Finally, just before joining CVS, Desiree was a Senior Labor and Employee Relations Specialist at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she managed the Medical Center’s union relationship and collective bargaining obligations, to include collective bargaining negotiations, grievances, and arbitration proceedings.

Desiree is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law (J.D., 2013) and Brandeis University (B.A., cum laude, 2010). In 2020, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (“MLW”) honored her as an “Up & Coming Lawyer” as well as an “In-House Leader in the Law” in 2023 and one of the “Top Women in the Law” in 2024. Additionally, Desiree was named one of Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” from 2018 to 2020.

Outside of her legal work, Desiree is an active member of the Massachusetts bar and legal community. More specifically, Desiree is an active member of the Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys (MBWA), for which currently serves as Immediate Past President; the Massachusetts Women’s Bar Association (WBA); the Boston Bar Association (BBA) and the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA). Desiree also serves as a Board Member for the Northeastern University School of Law Alumni Association and Labor & Employee Relation Association- Boston Chapter.

PUBLICATIONS & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• Faculty/Panelist, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, “Pay Equity and Transparency Update,” November 25, 2024.
• Moderator, “Second Annual WBA Reproductive Justice Symposium: Advancing Maternal Health & Pregnancy Outcomes for All,” November 20, 2024.
• Contributing Author, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Massachusetts Wage and Hours Handbook, “Chapter 2: Federal and State Overtime Laws,” 8th Ed. (2024).
• Panelist, National Arbitrator Association’s Annual Meeting, “The Case of Hidden Handgun,” May 9, 2024.
• Panelist, Massachusetts Bar Association’s Employment Law Conference, “Impact of Changing Interpretations and Applications of the NLRA and Other Labor Law Issues That Every Employment Lawyer Needs to Know,” December 1, 2023.
• Faculty/Panelist, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, “Emerging Issues in Pay Equity,” June 7, 2023.
• Panelist, Massachusetts Bar Association’s 44 th Annual Labor & Employment Law Spring Conference, March 24, 2023.
• Panelist, “Navigating the Maze of Labor and Employment Law,” Chief Legal Summit, December 4 - 6, 2022.
• Contributing Author, MCLE, Massachusetts Wage and Hours Handbook, “Chapter 2: Federal and State Overtime Laws,” 7th Ed. (2022).
• Panelist, “Gender & Mediation,” Women’s Bar Association/Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys, May 17, 2022.
• Panelist, “What to Expect from the Biden NLRB,” Northeastern University School of Law's Annual Labor and Employment Program, February 24, 2022.
• Panelist, 48th Annual Robert Fuchs Labor Law Conference, February 10, 2022.
• Panelist, “100 Days and Counting: Labor and Employment Law Under the Biden/Harris Administration,” Massachusetts Bar Association’s On-Demand Program, May 18, 2021.
• Panelist, “COVID-19 + Working Women: How to Reverse the Shecession,” Worcester Business Journal’s Webcast Series, April 20, 2021.
• Guest Contributor, “Protecting Essential Workers,” WBGH Basic Black, April 9, 2021.
• Panelist, “Reading the Tea Leaves: The Changing Landscape in Labor and Employment Law,” Massachusetts Bar Association’s 47th Annual Robert Fuchs Labor Law Conference, February 11, 2021.
• Moderator, “Putting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into Practice in the Workplace,” Boston Bar Association’s Employment Law Conference, November 12, 2020.
• Panelist, “Labor Law Update,” Massachusetts Bar Association’s 41 st Annual Labor and Employment Spring Conference, June 18, 2020.