Alexander Shapiro
Top rated Personal Injury attorney in New York, New York
Alexander T. Shapiro & Associates, P.C.
Practice areas: Personal Injury, Appellate, Estate & Trust Litigation; view more
Licensed in New York since: 2006
Education: Seton Hall University School of Law
Languages Spoken: English, Russian, Spanish
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2022 - 2024 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2014 - 2016, 2020 Call today:
212-608-0101
Free Consultation Alexander T. Shapiro & Associates, P.C.
225 Broadway3rd Floor
New York, NY 10007 Visit website
Details
Attorney Alexander Shapiro is the founding partner of Alexander T. Shapiro & Associates P.C., which has law offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Valley Stream, New York, and Oakhurst, New Jersey. Widely regarded as one of the top trial attorneys in the country, Mr. Shapiro focuses his practice primarily on complex civil litigation involving catastrophic injury and accident cases, and he provides exceptional counsel and support to the clients throughout the greater New York City metro and surrounding areas of Long Island and New Jersey. In addition to his extensive experience in personal injury cases, Mr. Shapiro litigated numerous complex commercial litigation cases and has experience in business transactions and planning. This experience provides Mr. Shapiro with a broader perspective and an additional advantage in the prosecution of personal injury actions because plaintiffs often face situations with insufficient insurance coverage and defendants that engage in fraudulent conveyances in an attempt to shield their assets. In addition to endeavoring to provide clients with the utmost standard of legal representation, he also understands the impact that the litigation process may have on his clients and strives to provide them support and guidance throughout the process. Many of Mr. Shapiro's cases are referrals from other attorneys who seek out Mr. Shapiro's expert legal representation in complex cases. Mr. Shapiro represented clients in the following areas:
· Personal injury and wrongful death claims arising from motor vehicle accidents, construction accidents, defective products and other preventable tragedies
· Business and corporate transactions and litigation
· Estate planning, elder law, and asset protection
· Estate and trust litigation
· International law
· Appeals
Over the course of his legal career, Mr. Shapiro has handled numerous multi-jurisdictional cases in various states across the nation as well as international matters. Through his personal injury practice, he has advocated on behalf of clients suffering needlessly as a result of someone else's negligence or wrongdoing, and he has become a recognized authority in traumatic brain injuries.
From his efforts, Mr. Shapiro has secured some of the largest settlements and verdicts ever awarded in the state, including multiple awards in excess of $10 million for accident victims, including a $20 million present value settlement . He has represented clients in cases involving complex business-related disputes as well as international child custody matters. He has also assisted with structuring complex, high-stakes commercial real estate transactions, and he has provided invaluable counsel to his commercial clients to help them mitigate the potential for any future litigation.
Honored for his outstanding professionalism and service, Mr. Shapiro has earned consistent top rankings from various peer review sources, including the Who's Who Top Attorneys of North America and the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys. In recognition for the substantial settlements and verdicts he has achieved for his plaintiff clients, he is also a member of both the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums.
A graduate of New York University's Stern School of Business, Mr. Shapiro obtained his Juris Doctor magna cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law in 2005. The recipient of a national legal scholarship in law school, he also received the Advanced Legal Writing Award and graduated Order of the Coif. During this time, he also published an article on tax law reform, which the Seton Hall Law Committee selected as the best paper of the year.
Practice areas
Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff, Appellate, Estate & Trust Litigation, Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: PlaintiffFocus areas
Animal Bites, Assault, Birth Injury, Brain Injury, Construction Accident, Delayed or Incorrect Diagnosis, Dental Malpractice, Dram Shop Laws, Informed Consent, Medical Malpractice, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Premises Liability - Plaintiff, Sexual Abuse - Plaintiff, Slip and Fall, Trucking Accidents, Will Contests, Wrongful Death
- 70% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
- 10% Appellate
- 10% Estate & Trust Litigation
- 10% Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 2006, New York
Professional Webpage: https://atslegalny.com/our-attorneys/
- $27,000,000 settlement in a construction accident (appx $20,000,000 present value). The action was based on Labor Law Sec. 240 and 241(6) claims and the injuries included a traumatic brain injury (TBI), as well as various orthopedic injuries. Plaintiff underwent wrist surgery and a procedure to address the facial fractures. Defense IME experts questioned that Plaintiff sustained a TBI and the extent thereof. Defense experts opined that Plaintiff made a good recovery and with respect to the TBI claims, one defense IME expert stated that Plaintiff's cognitive function was essentially the same before and after the accident. Plaintiff's experts and treating physicians opined that the accident resulted in a disabling TBI and other conditions and that his clinical presentation was consistent with radiological findings, which included encephalomalacia. Plaintiff was an undocumented laborer. Summary judgment on liability was granted to Plaintiff on his Sec. 240 and 241(6) claims. The action settled at the second round of mediation. Each case presents its own unique facts and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. , 2018
- $9,350,000 settlement in a wrongful death case involving minutes of conscious pain and suffering , 2023
- $6,250,000 settlement in a construction accident case involving fall at work and primary injuries included mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and ankle fractures , 2023
- $11,000,000 award in a personal injury and wrongful death action involving a construction site accident, 2019
- $10,000,000 present value settlement in a Labor Law action involving a traumatic brain injury, 2018
- $9,200,000+ award in a case where primary injuries involved a mild TBI and ankle fractures, 2023
- $6,250,000 settlement in a construction accident case involving an undocumented laborer , 2023
- $6,000,000 settlement in a premises liability action, 2023
- $5,250,000 settlement in an elevator accident action, 2023
- $3,500,000 settlement in an action involving undocumented day laborer where Plaintiff contended 3-6 min of conscious pain while defense expert disputed that there was any conscious pain and suffering given the nature of the injuries. Decedent fell while dismantling pallet racks in a warehouse. Defendants sought to dismiss LL Sec. 240(1) and 241(6) claims on the basis that there no construction in process and that worker was not engaged in a covered activity. Plaintiff moved for summary judgment on the Sec. 240(1) and 241(6) claims, arguing that dismantling of the shelving fixture constituted demolition within the meaning of the Labor Law. Plaintiff's motion for summary judgment on liability was granted. The pecuniary losses in the action were limited because worker did not have any dependents and had no documented history of earnings as income tax returns were never filed. The defense maintained that the sustainable value of compensation for pain and suffering for such a limited amount of time was greatly limited by the case law while Plaintiff's counsel argued that this action could be distinguished from prior precedent and that there is an upward trend in sustainability of awards. The case settled during mediation. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. , 2023
- $3,000,000 settlement in a motor vehicle accident, 2022
- $2,500,000 settlement plus a waiver of an over $300,000 workers compensation lien in a construction accident case, 2021
- $1,750,000 settlement in a construction accident case, 2021
- $1,400,000 settlement in wrongful death and personal injury action involving Labor Law violations. The injured construction worker lost consciousness shortly after the tragic fall and died without regaining it. The accident occurred at a one-family primary residence and the liability carrier for the general contractor's disclaimed coverage. Defendant property owners invoked the home owner's exception and moved for summary judgment, which Mr. Shapiro opposed. Defendants further contended that the worker became immediately unconscious and was an undocumented alien without any history of documented earnings. On top of that, the insurance carrier for the general contractor disclaimed any insurance coverage. In parallel to the state court action, Mr. Shapiro defended the insurer's federal action for declaratory judgment, and the case settled during the pendency of the federal case, with the Third-party defendant in the state court action paying the entirety of the settlement., 2020
- $1,200,000 settlement recovered for an undocumented alien who was struck as a bicyclist. The primary injury involved pelvic fractures., 2019
- $1,000,000 in a products liability and breach of warranty action involving the sale of a wild harvested buffalo fish that was contaminated with a thermal resistant neurotoxin that causes a rare condition known as Haff's Disease and for which no tests were available for its detection. Plaintiff was the administrator of his 74-year old mother who died after eating the fish and he himself also experienced the onset of the same condition. Defendants denied liability on the basis that there was no possible way for the sellers of the fish to ascertain the contamination and because the subject condition was not reasonably foreseeable as it was exceedingly rare in that there were only 34 documented cases involving the same condition in the United States history. Mr. Shapiro argued that the fish was not wholesome for human consumption and thus violated the implied warranty of merchantability, that the condition is more prevalent but is under reported (as established through deposition testimony of the NYC Department of Health Infectious Disease doctor), and that the burden should be on the fish industry to come up with the appropriate tests. Case settled at mediation. , 2017
- Multimillion-Dollar Advocates Forum
- Super Lawyers (no more than 2.5% of attorneys selected)
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Top Attorneys New York Metro Area, Top Attorneys in North America (Diamond Membership)
- Top 10 under 40 for the State of New York
- Graduated in the top 5% of the class (Magna Cum Laude) and inducted into the Order of the Coif. In 2004, received the Advance Legal Writing Award for submitting the best paper of the year in Advanced; legal Writing., Magna Cum Laude, Order of the Coif, recipient of the Seton Hall Advanced Legal Writing Award
- On the basis of high settlement and verdict results, was selected to Top 10 Under 40. , NAOPIA TOP 10 UNDER 40, NAOPIA, 2018
- New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Bachelor’s of Finance
- In 2004, submitted an article titled "The Unrelated Business Income Tax - A Call for Reform", which was selected by the Seton Hall Law committee as best paper for the year. , The Unrelated Business Income Tax - A Call for Reform, 2004
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2022 - 2024
- Rising Stars: 2014 - 2016, 2020
