Mr. Shapiro, who focuses his practice primarily on estate planning, probate and elder law, was given an “AV” rating from his peers, which means that he was deemed to have very high professional ethics and preeminent legal ability. Only lawyers with the highest ethical standards and professional ability receive a Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating. Mr. Shapiro has also earned a perfect 10 rating from avvo.com.
“To be honored by fellow attorneys with the highest Martindale-Hubbell peer-review rating is truly an honor,” said Mr. Shapiro. “I strive to offer each and every client my very best every day, and when my professional colleagues bestow such a rating upon me, it affirms that my goals are being met.”
LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell conducts secure online Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings surveys of lawyers across multiple jurisdictions and geographic locations, in similar areas of practice as the lawyer being rated. Reviewers are instructed to assess their colleagues' general ethical standards and legal ability in a specific area of practice.
Mr. Shapiro, a Middletown, N.Y. native, earned his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in 1985 and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1988. He has been admitted to the Bar Associations in both New York, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. District Court Southern District of New York. Mr. Shapiro frequently writes on estate planning topics for local and national publications, and teaches continuing education programs for attorneys, accountants and financial advisors.
The legal community values the accuracy of lawyer peer review ratings because they are determined by their peers – the people who are best suited to assess the legal ability and professional ethics of their colleagues. In this highly competitive environment for legal services, the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating is often one of the only means to differentiate lawyers who are otherwise very comparable in their credentials.
Indeed, a Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating can be one of the most important criteria that lawyers and clients use to evaluate a lawyer when retaining a lawyer, or simply researching the background of co-counsel or opposing counsel. When referring matters to colleagues with specific expertise or looking for counsel in another jurisdiction, lawyers want to have confidence in the individual lawyer under consideration. By reviewing the ratings, they can be guided to a lawyer with very high ethics as well as the appropriate level of professional experience.
“Martindale-
