He served as a law clerk to Federal District Court Judge Robert G. Doumar in Norfolk (E.D. VA), and now exclusively handles injury law. He is a Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification of Massachusetts (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the southeastern U.S.A.  He co-authored “Railroad Health & Safety; a Litigator’s Guide” which appears in a leading law encyclopedia, “American Jurisprudence Trials."  Rick was elected chair of the Railroad Law section of the American Association for Justice (2005-2006) and has written and lectured on evidence law to the AAJ, VTLA, Georgia TLA, as well as to Virginia lawyers. 

Read what some of Rick's clients say about him:
"You built a very strong case, which showed when the rubber hit the road and it really showed at settlement time" - Arthur

"Rick was so passionate about my case." - Anne

"I couldn't be more pleased with the services provided by Mr. Shapiro." - Mike


Rick's Practice Areas Include:

• FELA/On-the-Job Railroad Accidents, Diseases such as Mesothelioma from Asbestos Exposure
• Car Accident Injuries
• Wrongful Death Accidents
• Trucks or Tractor Trailer Accidents
• Surgical Errors, Medical/Hospital Malpractice
• Head Wound/Traumatic Brain Injuries
• Aviation/Mass Transit Injuries
• General Personal Injury Claims
• Boat Accidents
• Product Recalls and Prescription Drug Side Effects

Rick is a member of Primerus Society of Law Firms, along with his partners. This is an organization of highly experienced and ethical attorneys. 

Rick regularly writes/blogs on injury law topics, along with his partners, as one of the editors of Virginia Beach Injuryboard , Norfolk Injuryboard, and the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard blogs.

See Richard N. Shapiro's lawyer rating on Avvo lawyer rating service.  
Rick received an "A V" rating (the highest available) from Martindale-Hubbell, another prominent legal rating service. This rating means Rick has a reputation among other lawyers and judges as being highly ethical and of being very high, to pre-eminent, in his legal ability.


Another prominent distinction is being named a Virginia "Super Lawyer." Less than 5% of attorneys practicing in personal injury law are selected as "Super Lawyers." visit the official site for more details.

Richard N. Shapiro
online at



Rick is also ranked as a top-100 trial lawyer by the American Trial Lawyers Association



Selected for inclusion in the "Best Lawyers in America" 2010 publication (Railroad Injury Law) which only includes a tiny number of the active attorneys in any given state.




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