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A family run business for over 40 years on the Central Coast. J Johnson and his daughters, Hannah Murphy and Cori Jones, have built a solid reputation helping clients and their families, and take great pride in giving their clients professional, prompt and personalized service.
J Johnson, Attorney
J has been practicing in the fields of estate planning, probate, trust administration, and real estate since his admission into the California Bar in 1981. Over the years J has forged many strong bonds in the community and when people ask “Who did your estate plan?” around the Five-Cities area, chances are you will most likely hear his name in reply. This kind of reputation and word of mouth was built over 40 years of meeting with clients and their families, getting to know them, listening to their needs and concerns, and coming up with estate plans and real property solutions that are tailored to meet their unique situations. J is very proud to have his two daughters, Hannah Murphy and Cori Jones, as his partners at Johnson, Murphy & Jones.
J was born in Iowa and was raised on a farm in the small town of Jolley until the age of 11, when he and his family moved to Grover City (now known as Grover Beach) in 1959. J graduated from Arroyo Grande High School, Received a B.S. in Mathematics from Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo, a Masters of Public Administration from Golden Gate University and his J.D. from Santa Barbara Law School. J served as a police officer with the Pismo Beach P.D. from 1968 to 1980 and was a volunteer fireman in Grover Beach from 1985 to 1999.
J has always been, and continues to be very involved in the community. Over the years he has served as past president of the 5-cities Rotary Club, the Arroyo Grande Chamber of Commerce, the Grover Beach Chamber of Commerce, 5-Cities Men’s Club, the Los Padres Council Boy Scouts of America, the Cal Poly Athletic fund, he was awarded the Silver Beaver by the Boy Scouts of America and was named Grover Beach Citizen of the Year in 2015. When J isn’t at the office you can bet his free time is being spent attending or planning for charity events, or simply volunteering his time where it is most needed in the community.
Hannah E. Murphy, Attorney
Hannah is the daughter of J Johnson, and was born and raised in Arroyo Grande. She graduated from Arroyo Grande High School, earned a B.A. in Economics and Anthropology from UCLA (Cum Laude), and her J.D. from Notre Dame Law School (Cum Laude). Hannah graduated and passed the California bar exam in 2016, and started working at Johnson, Murphy & Jones.
Prior to her graduation, Hannah completed an internship with the District Attorney’s Office in San Luis Obispo, assisting with the day to day handling of criminal cases. Hannah later served an internship at the University of Notre Dame, College of Law Community Development Clinic. While with the Community Development Clinic Hannah advised clients on a wide range of
business, nonprofit, and real estate law matters. After taking the bar, while awaiting her passing results, Hannah worked as a law clerk in a business litigation firm in Newport Beach, California. While clerking, Hannah was able to learn about litigation and get hands on experience at a large firm.
Hannah believes in volunteerism and has made a strong commitment to her community. While in her undergrad at UCLA, she was a member of the Bruin Belles, a student-run service organization that emphasizes community service and women’s leadership. Hannah is currently proudly serving on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of South San Luis Obispo County and she is a graduate of Leadership South County – Class 1. Hannah also dedicates one afternoon a month to the Oceano Senior Center where she advises seniors on a variety of legal matters, free of charge.
Hannah takes pride in being a part of a family run business. You will find that one of her best qualities is that that she takes the time to get to know her clients, what their objectives are, and makes lasting relationships with them. When Hannah isn’t at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband Adam, hiking, going to the beach, her rescue puppies Walter and Grendel, traveling the world, and trivia nights.
Cori B. Jones, Attorney
Cori B. Jones is the managing attorney of our Huntington Beach office. She was admitted to practice law in California in 2008. Cori is a 2005 graduate of California State University, Long Beach, with a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Speech Communications. She is also a 2008 graduate of the University of La Verne, College of Law, where she was awarded a full academic scholarship. Cori is J Johnson’s daughter and was raised on the central coast of California, until she made southern California her home in 1995.
Over the course of her career, Cori has handled cases that cover the full spectrum of civil litigation from breach of contract, commercial and residential
evictions for landlords, creditor’s bankruptcy litigation, wrongful foreclosure defense for some of the world’s largest financial institutions, as well as estate planning and administration. While well versed in litigation, Cori also knows the value of mediating an issue when it is appropriate and will counsel clients to settle cases where and when it is in their best interests.
In 2019, Cori joined Johnson, Murphy & Jones, Inc. bringing with her the civil litigation experience gained in the “Big Law” world. Cori is excited to bring her small town sense of community and client care to our new office in Huntington Beach, a city that also boasts pride of community and a spirit of togetherness.
Cori finds it personally rewarding to walk beside her clients in planning for their future and through the difficult period following a death of a loved one. She never loses sight of the fact that every client’s situation and circumstances are unique. As such, she gives each client and their case the individual attention that it deserves, always seeking the best possible outcome for them, given the circumstances.
When Cori is not in the office or the courtroom, she enjoys reading and spending time with her husband and their rescue pups. Cori also volunteers on the Orange County Leadership Council and specifically focuses on the Emilio Nares Foundation (www.enfhope.org), a charity whose main objective is to provide safe clean rides to children battling cancer who would otherwise have to take public transportation to and from their treatments and doctor appointments.