In 1958, Mr. Shapiro graduated from UC Berkeley, and in 1961 he received his JD from Boalt Hall School of Law. Mr. Shapiro is a member of both the California and Los Angeles Bar Associations. He is a past president of both the California Applicants' Attorneys Association and the Southern California Applicants' Attorneys Association.

Mr. Shapiro is Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral sciences at USC Medical School, and an instructor at USC School of Law. Mr. Shapiro was a member of the Board of Legal Specialization (Workers' Compensation), and a past member of the Workers' Compensation Chairman's Advisory Commission. Mr. Shapiro was a CEB lecturer, and is a Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation by the State Bar of California. Mr. Shapiro has been a contributing author to California Torts and is a member of the Board of the workplace injury Litigation Group of ATLA. He was the recipient of the CAAA Eugene Marias Lifetime Achievement Award for 1995 and the Lifetime Achievement Award State Bar, Workers' Compensation Section. He was named one of the top 100 attorneys in Southern California for 2006 and has been a southern California Super Lawyer for the past 10 years. In 2007 he was inducted as a Fellow of The College of Workers' Compensation Lawyers.