Richard Neal (Rick) Shapiro takes great pride in his work as a trial attorney and has practiced Plaintiff’s personal injury law for over three decades in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States.
He has dedicated his career to standing up for the "little guy" against big corporations, insurance companies, and government entities that attempt to use their vast resources and trove of defense lawyers to deny or fight legitimate claims.
Rick Shapiro has more than 38 years total experience, and only handles personal injury law. He was named a 2022 Leader in the Law by Virginia Lawyer’s Weekly, and he has won client appeals before the VA, NC, SC, WV & TN Supreme Courts, and 3 times in the US Court of Appeals.
In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements & verdicts in excess of 100 million dollars. Board Certified in Civil Trials (NBTA).
He has been invited to write scholarly articles on various legal issues at the request of the AAJ, VTLA, Georgia TLA, as well as to Virginia lawyers, and has been an invited speaker at national trial attorney seminars. Rick was elected chair of the Railroad Law section of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) twice (2013-2014 and 2005-2006).
In September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S.
Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
Rick is also an American inventor and product designer (18 U.S. patents) and an Amazon best-selling thriller author.
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- George Mason University School of Law
- J.D. | Law
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- Honors: Graduated with Distinction
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- Shareholder
- Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp
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- Boutique law firm focused exclusively on plaintiff's personal injury law.
- Secretary and Newsletter Editor
- Railroad Law Section of the American Association of Justice
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- Do's & Don'ts When Injured at a Railroad - Your FELA Rights
- The Law Firm of Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis, & Appleton, P.C.
- Eyes on the Road: Common Factors Leading to Distracted Driving
- The Law Firm of Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis, & Appleton, P.C.
- Railroad Health & Safety; a Litigator’s Guide
- 72 Am. Jur. Trials, p.1 (West)
- Preserving Survival Damages - When Your Case Morphs Into a Wrongful Death Action,
- The Journal of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
- Using Medical Evidence to Maximize Personal Injury Case Damages
- The Journal of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
- “Focus Groups” (October 2019)., VTLA seminar, Richmond VA
- Virginia Trial Lawyers
- How to conduct Focus Groups as pre-trial tactic
- “End Distracted Driving” Williamsburg, VA (January 2013)., Seminar, Jamestown High School in Williamsburg, VA
- Spoke to students on distracted driving and the law.
- Corporate Representative Depositions (February 2012), American Ass'n for Justice Summer Convention Seminar
- American Ass'n for Justice
- How to conduct a corporate representative deposition, techniques and tactics
- • Railroad Release Law (June 2009), American Ass'n for Justice, National convention
- American Association for Justic
- Addressed national membership on written release law.
- Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate
- National Board of Trial Advocacy
- One of the Best Lawyers in America for Railroad Worker Injury (FELA) Law
- Best Lawyers in America
- Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. The process is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
- Virginia "Super Lawyer" for Personal Injury Law
- Law & Politics Magazine
- Prestigious accolade that less than five percent of practicing attorneys ever attain.
- "AV" Preeminent Rating
- Martindale-Hubbell
- 10.0 Superb Rating
- Avvo
- The Avvo rating is calculated using information collected from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals, along with peer reviews and client reviews.
- Lawyer of the Year
- U.S. News & World Report
- Rick was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law by U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area). This is a highly prestigious accolade that is based on independent, peer review ratings.
- Legal Examiner
- Contributor
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- Activities: Write and edit in-depth articles and blogs concerning legal issues related to personal injury and wrongful death law.
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- Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
- Member
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- American Association for Justice
- Member & Formar Chair of the Railroad Section
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- West Virginia State Bar
- Member
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- Virginia State Bar
- Member
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- District of Columbia
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- North Carolina
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- Virginia
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- West Virginia
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- 4th Circuit
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- U.S. Supreme Court
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- Free Consultation
- Contingent Fees
- Personal Injury
- Animal & Dog Bites, Brain Injury, Car Accidents, Construction Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, Premises Liability, Truck Accidents, Wrongful Death
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury, Medical Misdiagnosis, Pharmacy Errors, Surgical Errors
- Products Liability
- Drugs & Medical Devices, Motor Vehicle Defects, Toxic Torts
- Asbestos & Mesothelioma
- Railroad Worker Injuries and FELA Claims
- Car Accidents
- English: Spoken, Written
All we do is injury law. That is our firm slogan and we have remained committed to representing those in need since 1985.
In this video, Virginia personal injury lawyers Rick Shapiro and Kevin Duffan, discuss what to do if you or a loved one is hurt in a hit and run accident.
Meet Rick.
Rick has handled numerous railroad mesothelioma claims. This video focuses on how railroaders wind up getting mesothelioma.
This video features Rick talking about when a railroad worker should consider hiring a railroad accident attorney.
Rick is an "AV" Preeminent rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell.
Rick talks about the potentially lethal "synergistic" effect of smoking and being exposed to asbestos.
http://www.hsinjurylaw.com - Many attorneys turn down cases where a client has a preexisting medical condition because insurance adjusters love to use these against the client. As experienced injury lawyers we...
http://www.hsinjurylaw.com - What makes our law firm different or better than the others? Here are four things that make us different: multiple state licenses, state and national injury lawyer...
http://www.hsinjurylaw.com/practice_areas/virginia-beach-truck-accident-lawyers-norfolk-trucking-attorneys-va.cfm - Truckers must follow strict guidelines listed in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act such as driving in bad weather conditions or hours of service of the driver. There...
http://www.hsinjurylaw.com/practice_areas/virginia-beach-truck-accident-lawyers-norfolk-trucking-attorneys-va.cfm - Trucks who move between states are subject to federal statutes and regulations and often multiple state laws apply. This is why our lawyers are licensed to practice...
http://www.hsinjurylaw.com/practice_areas/virginia-beach-truck-accident-lawyers-norfolk-trucking-attorneys-va.cfm - Truck accidents happen every day. If you have suffered an injury or death related to a commercial truck accident you MUST act quickly. The trucking company...
http://www.hsinjurylaw.com/practice_areas/virginia-beach-fda-drug-recall-lawyer-prescription-drugs.cfm - If you have suffered side effects by a dangerous drug/medication, please contact our law firm so you can talk to a real lawyer for free. Cases against drug...
Virginia attorney Richard Shapiro discusses how his firm provides safety information to help people avoid injury and also assists injured people in recovering so they can move on with their...
In this video, Rick discusses whether a Power of Attorney is sufficient to secure a copy of your medical records related to treatment in the wake of an accident.
Our personal injury law firm offers free, confidential case reviews to all prospective clients.