I have been doing personal injury law for 18 years from Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA) and I really enjoy what I do. First, I really believe that I am wearing the white hat in doing good work on a worthy cause because I represent only plaintiffs in personal injury cases. I do not think that the insurance defense lawyers are bad people, but I could never do that side of personal injury litigation. I would much rather help injured people get compensation for a wrong that was done to them, than to try to prevent people from getting fair compensation. I feel that I am doing justice to make sure that when somebody gets hurt by the fault of another person that they get the debt created repaid. I also would much rather help individual people as my clients than represent big insurance companies and corporations against regular folks.
I guess I also love being a personal injury lawyer because I feel I am good at it. I grew up in a family surrounded by lawyers. In fact, both my parents were lawyers. This was unusual because my mother was a pioneer who went to law school when that was uncommon for women to become lawyers. I have always loved to argue and negotiate. I was lucky to get a great education at some of the best schools, including Norfolk Academy in Norfolk, Virginia, Phillips Academy at Andover, Massachusetts, University of California at Berkeley, and the law school at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. I have become pretty good at doing the reading and writing necessary to be successful helping injured people get compensation from insurance companies and at fault corporations. I have achieved an AV reading from Martindale Hubble which is based upon my reputation for excellence and ethical conduct among my fellow lawyers in Hampton Roads, Virginia (VA). I feel that part of my success has been the focus of my practice in that all that I and my firm do is represent injured people. We don’t do any other kind of law. That way, I am able to really learn all the aspects of being a lawyer for injured people by concentrating my efforts. Our law firm slogan is “All We Do Is Injury Law.”
I also love my job because I love how our law firm approaches F.E.L.A. and injury work and the people I work with. I welcome you to take a look at my law firm’s web site, www.hsinjurylaw.com. We are very proud of this web site and put a lot of energy into keeping it current. The lawyers that I work with are also first class injury lawyers and people. When you work in a plaintiff side injury law firm, you get to be your own boss and can be more of an individual as a lawyer. You don’t have to fit some corporate mold like the insurance defense lawyers and railroad lawyers do. I am proud of our law firm and our accomplishments representing injured people and especially railroad workers.
I have a lot to be grateful for and happy about in my work life. I hope that I am able to show my injury clients through my attitude and enthusiasm for helping them how appreciative I am of being allowed to represent them as their personal injury lawyer.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. 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. 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. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And 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.
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