Our Attorneys
RICHARD SHAPIRO
Richard Shapiro has served as a law clerk to Federal District Court Judge Robert G. Doumar in Norfolk, 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.
Richard 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.
Richard received an "A V" rating (the highest available) from Martindale-Hubbell, another prominent legal rating service. This rating means Richard 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
Richard 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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Education:
Richard N. Shapiro received his college degree from the University of Maryland, served as staff assistant to U.S. Congressman Whitehurst, and graduated from George Mason Law School With Distinction.
Professional Honors & Activities:
Named as a Virginia "Super Lawyer"(2010 Ed.) for personal injury/general category by Law & Politics publication for the State of Virginia (2009);
Invited Member: Million Dollar Advocates Forum, one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the USA;
Selected to the "Top 100 Trial Lawyers" of Virginia, by the American Trial Lawyers Association
Selected to Who’s Who in American Law-2009
Recipient, George Mason Law Alumni Honor Scholarship, 1984.
Member, George Mason University Law Review, 1982-1984 (Article Published-1984) Law School:
George Mason University, J.D. with distinction (top 5% of class) 1984.
Member of the Primerus International Society of Law Firms .
Rick is an inventor, holding 14 U.S. patents relating to compact, folding wheel axle technologyapplied to wagons, carts, jogging strollers and other products. He also has been granted several international patents and several of his designs are used on products sold in the US and internationally.
Presentations & Speeches:
Rick has lectured before lawyers with the AAJ, VTLA and GTLA, for Virginia CLE on evidence law and railroad/FELA law, and published an article entitled "Using Medical Evidence to Maximize Personal Injury Case Damages, in the VA Trial Lawyers Law Letter Vol. 21, No. 1 (2009).
Invited Presenter: AAJ Seminar on Railroad Release Law (June 2009), and has been an invited speaker at a number of national and regional lawyer seminars.
Publications:
Railroad Health & Safety; a Litigator’s Guide. Co-Author, 72 Am. Jur. Trials, p.1 (West).
Reported/Published legal decisions: Bray v. Ins. Co. of State of Pa., 917 F2d 130 (4th Cir. 1990).
Ratliff v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co., 2009 WL 649268 (March 12, 2009) (Link to WV Supreme Court Website-Opinion)
Regular author/writer on Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and NE NC Injuryboard law blogs.
Bar Admissions:
He is admitted to practice law in Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., and North Carolina, and has litigated cases throughout the eastern U.S. with co-counsel under pro hac vice admission.
Court Admissions:
U.S. Supreme Court, 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, numerous Fed. courts. VA, WV, NC, WASH, DC licensure.
Community Activities:
Rick donates to numerous charitable organizations outlined elsewhere on this website. Member: Norfolk-Portsmouth and Virginia Beach Bar Associations; Virginia State Bar; Virginia Trial Lawyers Association; American Association For Justice (Chairman, Railroad Section, 2005-2006); American Trial Lawyers Ass'n, Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys.
JOHN COOPER
John Cooper returned to his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia in 1988 after law school at the University of Virginia. Since his clerkship with federal judge Rebecca B. Smith, now chief chief judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division, John’s law practice has emphasized personal injury litigation.
John is married and has three children.
John is recognized as a Virginia "Super Lawyer" (2010 Edition). Only five percent of lawyers receive this distinction.
Check out John's profile on Avvo, a legal rating service.
Also take a look at the firm's Facebook profile.
Education:
- Undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley (B.A. Anthropology 1985); Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society.
- Juris Doctorate (J.D.), University of Virginia, 1988.
Professional Honors & Activities:
- Designated Legal Counsel for the Transportation Communications International Union (TCIU) (railroad workers' union representing carmen, car inspectors, clerks, and coach cleaners).
- Member of the Primerus International Society of Law Firms
- Chair of the Railroad Law Section of the AAJ (2008-2009)
- Highest rating (AV) granted to attorneys from Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Rating Service, meaning John has a reputation among other lawyers and judges as being highly ethical and of being very high to pre-eminent in his legal ability.
- Member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, legislative, membership and fundraising committees
Presentations & Speeches:
- A Primer on Federal Employers' Liability Act and Railroad Injury Cases (December 2, 2003) (Virginia CLE)
- Effectively Using Medical Evidence in Court (October, 26, 2006) (National Business Institute)
- Motions In Limine and Jury Voir Dire in Injury Cases (October 5 and 26, 2006) (VTLA)
- How to Successfully Resolve Automobile Injury Cases (Sepember 23, 2007) (NBI)
- Lectured to physicians on medical negligence law at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk
- AAJ Railroad Law Section: Education Program Planner and Moderator (July, 2009) (Annual Convention)
- Handling a Personal Injury Case: Phone Call to Verdict (October 15, 2009) (Virginia Beach Bar Association)
- Handling the Auto Injury Claim (October 22, 2009) (NBI)
Publications:
Co-Editor of the Web blogs Norfolk Injuryboard, Virginia Beach Injuryboard, and Northeast NC Injuryboard.
Bar Admissions:
Admitted to practice law in:
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- West Virginia
Court Admissions:
John has represented injured persons in federal and state courts, including the Virginia Supreme Court. He has been admitted to practice in U.S. District Courts in the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia and the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Community Activities:
- President of Ohef Sholom Temple Men's Club, Norfolk, VA, 2005-2007
- Prior Board member of the National Conference for Community and Justice
- Prior Board member of the Tidewater, Virginia, Southside Jewish Community Center (JCC)
JAMES C. LEWIS
James C. Lewis attended the University of Virginia where he received his bachelor’s degree, with distinction, and went on to receive his law degree from the College of William and Mary. He teaches Trial Advocacy in the evenings as an Adjunct Professor at William and Mary law school.
Jim is licensed to practice law in Virginia and North Carolina and regularly tries cases in state and federal courts. Jim has been made a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, has lectured to doctors and lawyers regarding injury law, and is an active member of the AAJ & VTLA.
He concentrates his practice on representing seriously injured clients and their families in the areas of motor vehicle injury, medical negligence, aviation/airplane crashes, railroad and faulty product injury cases.
Jim has the highest rating (AV) granted to attorneys from Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Rating Service.
Be sure to check out Jim's profile on Avvo, a legal rating service:
Also check out our firm's profile on Facebook.
Professional Honors & Activities:
Member of the Primerus International Society of Law Firms
A V Rated by Martindale Hubbell lawyer rating service (highest level)
Selected for inclusion to the "The Best Lawyers in America® 2010" for personal injury
Named by Law & Politics as a Virginia Super Lawyer in Personal Injury Law: 2006-Present
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[Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Polling, research and selection are performed by Law & Politics, a publication of Key Professional Media, Inc. Law & Politics has been publishing legal magazines since 1990 and Super Lawyers since 1991.]
Jim is a car racing fan and has driven myriad racing cars, including racing at 170 mph at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a Richard Petty driving school- click here to see Jim in his racing glory.
Further, Jim is a licensed pilot, which is of significance when he handles aircraft/aviation crash personal injury cases. See licensed pilot/lawyer Jim Lewis at the local airport.
RANDALL E. APPLETON
Randall E. Appleton, was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Randy has over twenty years of injury law experience and has handled injury litigation in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Tennessee during his career.
Be sure to take a look at Randy's profile on Avvo, a legal rating service, and on Facebook.
Education:
Randy graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in 1979 and from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1982.
Professional Honors & Activities:
He is a member of the American Association for Justice, North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, and is a past president of the Portsmouth Bar Association. Member of the Primerus International Society of Law Firms
Court Admissions:
He was first licensed in 1982 in Virginia, and is now also licensed in North Carolina, West Virginia, South Carolina, and Kentucky. He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States.
EMILY MAPP BRANNON
Emily Mapp Brannon was born in Norfolk, Virginia and is a graduate of Maury High School.
Visit Emily's profiles on LinkedIn, FaceBook, YouTube, Serious Personal Injury Attorney, Avvo, Norfolk InjuryBoard, Virginia Beach InjuryBoard and LawInfo.
Education:
- Bachelors - George Mason University in 2001
- Juris Doctorate - Florida Coastal School of Law in 2006
Bar Admissions:
Emily is licensed to practice law in all Virginia Courts and in the state of Florida.
Court Admissions:
Emily is admitted to the Eastern District of Virginia Federal Court.
Community Activities:
Emily is a member of the American Association for Justice, the Virginia Bar Association, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, the Virginia Beach Bar Association and the Norfolk Portsmouth Bar Association. Member, CLASS program Virgnia Beach Bar Association, Member National Crime Victims Bar Association
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