Richard N. "Rick" Shapiro, General Attorney in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Richard N. (Rick) Shapiro has practiced as a Virginia Beach personal injury lawyer for over three decades in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States.

A relentless personal injury trial attorney, he was named a 2022 Leader in the Law by Virginia Lawyer’s Weekly. American inventor & product designer (18 U.S. patents, Radio Flyer patent license). Amazon #1 best-selling thriller author. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements.

In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of 100 million dollars. On the successful TN Supreme Court appeal, Shapiro worked tirelessly for seven years to achieve victory for his client. When you consider hiring your personal injury lawyer, reputation, integrity, and track record all matter.

He is a Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims.

He has written and lectured on evidence law to the AAJ, VTLA, and Georgia TLA, as well as to Virginia lawyers. Rick was elected chair of the Railroad Law section of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) twice (2013-2014 and 2005-2006) and was named President of the Railroad Accident Division of the National Trial Lawyers Association (NTLA 2013-14). He was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (a total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia).

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.

Check out this article about Rick published in George Mason University Alumni Association's Scroll Magazine

Rick’s inventor and designer background becomes important when he accepts a defective product case as he holds 18 US patents and numerous foreign patents. It really helped when he and his co-counsel won their client a $2.5 Million verdict after a ride-on lawnmower burst into flames, killing a man. He is an international award-winning fiction thriller author who wrote an Amazon #1 best-selling suspense novel.

Publications

• Railroad Health & Safety; a Litigator’s Guide, Co-Author, 72 Am. Jur. Trials, p.1 (West).
• Using Medical Evidence to Maximize Personal Injury Case Damages, The Journal of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, Vol. 21, No. 1, 39-46 (2009).
• Statistics Evidence in Injury Cases: Excluding It or Infusing It in Direct Exam? The Journal of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, Volume 23, No. 2, 3-6 (2012).
• Author and Editor for three health and safety blogs on The Legal Examiner.
• Featured Author and Editor of the Top 10 Civil Justice Stories, The Legal Examiner (since 2015)

Admitted to Practice Law in the Following Jurisdictions

• Virginia
• North Carolina
• West Virginia
• Washington, D.C.
• U.S. Supreme Court

Practice Areas

• Car accidents
• Wrongful death
• Accidents involving 18-wheelers
• Railroad worker injuries and disease claims
• Bike accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Medical malpractice