Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp has been included in the 2027 edition of Best Law Firms®, which Best Lawyers® released on November 4, 2026. This is the 17th U.S. edition of the rankings. Our firm received Regional Tier 1 rankings in the Norfolk market in two practice areas: Personal Injury Litigation (Plaintiffs) and Railroad Law.
Best Lawyers does not rank firms by number. Instead, firms receive a Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3 ranking within a specific practice area and geographic market. To be considered, a firm needs at least one attorney recognized in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Our founding partner, Rick Shapiro, has been listed by Best Lawyers since 2010 in the same two practice areas.
How Best Law Firms Rankings Are Determined
The U.S. edition of Best Law Firms first appeared in 2010, making it the longest-running edition Best Lawyers publishes. According to Best Lawyers, each firm is evaluated on feedback from clients and professional references, information the firm submits, evaluations from other lawyers, and interviews with firm leaders. The research behind this year’s edition included:
- 30,024 lawyers, who cast more than 3.8 million votes
- 109,963 client references
- 1,053 interviews with law firm and practice group leaders
- Regional rankings for 15,671 firms across 127 practice areas and 188 geographic markets
Best Lawyers reports that firms receiving regional rankings this year make up roughly 3.41 percent of law firms in the United States. The full process is published on its website.
Personal Injury Litigation in Hampton Roads
Personal Injury Litigation (Plaintiffs) covers the work we do every day: representing people hurt by someone else’s negligence. That includes truck and car crashes, pedestrian and motorcycle collisions, defective products, and medical malpractice. The “plaintiffs” designation means the ranking applies to lawyers who represent injured people, not insurance companies or corporate defendants.
Virginia is a difficult state for injury victims. It is one of only a handful of jurisdictions that still follow pure contributory negligence, which means an injured person who is found even slightly at fault can be barred from recovering anything. Insurers know this rule well and use it aggressively. Most personal injury claims in Virginia must also be filed within two years under Va. Code § 8.01-243(A), so delays can cost a client the case entirely.
As a Hampton Roads personal injury law firm, we have spent four decades building cases with those rules in mind. That means gathering crash reports, witness statements, vehicle data, and medical records early, before evidence disappears and before an insurer has a chance to shape the story.
Railroad Law and FELA Claims
Railroad Law is a narrower practice area, and it has deep roots in this region. Hampton Roads has some of the busiest rail and coal export facilities on the East Coast, including Norfolk Southern’s Lamberts Point terminal in Norfolk and CSX’s coal piers in Newport News. Thousands of railroad workers live and work here.
Injured railroad workers are not covered by state workers’ compensation. Their claims fall under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act, a law Congress passed in 1908. FELA requires the injured worker to show that the railroad’s negligence played some part in the injury, and the worker has three years to file under 45 U.S.C. § 56. Unlike workers’ compensation, FELA allows recovery for pain and suffering and full lost wages.
Rick Shapiro has handled FELA cases against Norfolk Southern and CSX for decades, and railroad injury work remains a significant part of our practice. Railroad companies keep claims agents and defense counsel ready to respond quickly after an incident. Workers deserve someone just as prepared on their side.
What This Recognition Means to Us
The client references are the part we value most. Those reviews come directly from the people we represented, often during the worst times of their lives. Our attorneys bring more than 100 years of combined experience to that work and hold licenses in Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
Recognition from Best Lawyers reflects evaluations by clients and peers. It does not predict the outcome of any individual case, and it won’t change how we handle yours. Every client still gets the same preparation and attention from our team.
We want to thank our clients and the attorneys who took part in this year’s research. Your feedback made this possible.
If you were hurt because of someone else’s negligence, a Hampton Roads personal injury law firm that has represented injured people since 1985 can review your situation at no cost. Contact Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp at 757-321-3983 for a free consultation. We have offices in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Hampton.