William Shapiro
Founder | William D. Shapiro Law, Inc.
William Shapiro is a wrongful death, personal injury and brain injury trial lawyer and founder of William D. Shapiro Law, Inc. in San Bernardino, California. J.D., Western State College of Law (1978).
Meet William
Contact
San Bernardino, California 92408
William D. Shapiro is the founder of William D. Shapiro Law, Inc. in San Bernardino, California, a firm that represents people with catastrophic injuries and families who have lost a loved one. Over roughly four decades of practice he has concentrated on wrongful death litigation, along with spinal cord, brain and amputation injuries, vehicle crashes, dangerous roadways, defective products and premises cases.
Shapiro is a State Bar of California certified specialist in civil trial advocacy and is board certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is listed as the 2026 national president of the American Board of Trial Advocates and is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. He has served on the Consumer Attorneys of California Board of Governors since 2009 and is a past president of the San Bernardino County Bar Association.
He earned his law degree from Western State University College of Law in 1978 and was admitted to the California bar in 1979. He has taught torts, ethics and trial practice as an adjunct professor at Western State College of Law, which honored him with a 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award. The Daily Journal named him a 2025 California Lawyer of the Year.
Experience and Expertise
Qualifications
Timeline
- Certified Specialist in Civil Trial Advocacy, State Bar of California
- Board Certified, Civil Trial Advocacy, National Board of Trial Advocacy
- J.D., Western State University College of Law, 1978
- B.S., Physical Education, California State University, Fullerton, 1974
- State Bar of California, 1979
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 1979
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, 1986
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit, 2013
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1986
Practice Areas
- American Board of Trial Advocates (2026 National President)
- International Academy of Trial Lawyers (Fellow)
- Consumer Attorneys of California (Board of Governors)
- Consumer Attorneys of the Inland Empire (Past President)
- San Bernardino County Bar Association (Past President, 2008)
- American Inns of Court, Joseph B. Campbell Chapter (Past President)
- American Association for Justice
- Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles
- Orange County Trial Lawyers Association
- Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino (Executive Board)
- American Bar Association
- California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY), Daily Journal (2025)
- Top 100 Lawyers in California, Daily Journal (2025)
- Top Gun Trial Lawyer of the Year, Orange County Trial Lawyers Association (2013, 2016, 2022, 2025)
- Marvin Lewis Award, Consumer Attorneys of California (2024)
- Trial Lawyer of the Year, CAL-ABOTA (2015)
- Lawyer of the Year, Personal Injury, Inland Empire, Best Lawyers in America (2017, 2021)
- Lifetime Achievement Award, San Bernardino County Bar Association (2025)
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Western State College of Law (2018)
- Super Lawyers Top 100 Southern California (2007-present)
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent
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