About Us  - "We take causes, not cases"

Shapiro Law Group has been representing victims and their families injured by medical malpractice and personal injury for nearly three decades.

Richard M. Shapiro is regarded as a prominent medical malpractice attorney who has been practicing in the Tampa Bay area since 1981. He began his career as a research assistant to his father who was Chairman of the Radiology Department at one of Yale University's primary teaching hospitals. That library research, consisting solely of medical issues relating to the spinal cord and brain, prompted Mr. Shapiro to concentrate his practice of law in cases which related to the spine and brain, including quadriplegia, paraplegia, bilateral blindness, and traumatic brain injury. He has been honored with several distinguished awards for trial advocacy by his peers, including one award for his representation of Jessica Roud, a young child whose life was devastated after a neurosurgeon negligently traumatized her brain during removal of a brain tumor that left her blind and quadriplegic. 

He has litigated numerous complex personal injury cases throughout the state including those caused by trucking accidents.  In fact, many of his cases and verdicts have shaped Florida law as we know it today. Shapiro is listed in the Who's Who in American Law; has served as President of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, as well as President of the Southern Trial Lawyers Organization. His relentless pursuit of justice for injured victims has been recognized by various lawyer and civic organizations throughout the country.

Catherine Blackburn has practiced catastrophic personal injury law for more than twenty-five years. She graduated both college and law school with honors. Ms. Blackburn was an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Louisville for five years. Her education focused heavily in medically-related fields.

Together, they form the litigation team that has combined over fifty years of experience in the courtroom. Both Mr. Shapiro and Ms. Blackburn are extensively involved in community matters and civic organizations. Mr. Shapiro serves on the Advisory Committee for the Manasota Association for Retarded Citizens. Ms. Blackburn serves on the Board of Directors for Florida Youth at Risk.

The firm's home office is located in Bradenton, Florida. The Shapiro Law Group headquarters was once a 1920's private home at the mouth of Tampa Bay, just forty minutes from downtown Tampa, Florida. Shapiro Law Group has lived by the motto, "we represent causes, not cases." Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.