Jim Shapiro
Encyclopedia
Jim "The Hammer" Shapiro is an American
attorney
and author
who was known in the Rochester
and Florida
areas (as well as some areas of Canada
where the Rochester station WUHF
is available on cable) for his aggressive television commercials
, as well as for a letter of solicitation he sent to a coma
tose accident victim.
. He is a member of the New York Bar
, and the Plaintiff's Securities Lawyers Group. He founded three law firms and had offices in Broward County, Florida
; Rochester
, Syracuse
, and Buffalo
, New York.
In the 1990s, Shapiro became controversial for his self-promotional television commercials in which he promised to obtain large financial settlements for accident victims, referred to himself as "the meanest, nastiest S.O.B.
in town” and claimed to have "aggressive courtroom prowess". His ads' visuals frequently included vehicle crashes, falling bodies, and explosions. He also began selling not-for-profit t-shirts which featured "a vicious beast with blood dripping from its fangs" and the words "Protected by Vicious S.O.B., Jim The Hammer Shapiro."
Shapiro sold all three law firms and now writes books. He is the author of Victims [sic] Rights to Maximum Cash, Sue the Bastards, Million Dollar Lungs, Injury Victims [sic] Rights to Maximum Cash, Instant Credit Repair and Get Back All Your Lost Investments!. The Information on books recently published by James Shapiro are at http://www.linkedin.com/in/shapirojames and http://www.amazon.com/Get-Back-Your-Lost-Investments/dp/1883527236
In 2007, Shapiro's advertisements were cited by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
as partial inspiration for a new set of rules the New York State Court System has implemented that limit attorneys' advertisements. The new rules prohibit, among other things, nicknames such as "The Hammer". The constitutionality
of the rules was called into question when Judge
Frederick Scullin
of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
permanently enjoined
some of the provisions in July 2007.
In its opinion suspending Shapiro, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, found that he had "never tried a case to its conclusion [in New York] and had conducted approximately 10 depositions." Shapiro had lived in Florida since 1995, remotely supervising his New York office. Wagner's lawyer, Robert Williams, claimed Shapiro's firm in Rochester was staffed by one lawyer who had only taken four cases to trial. The New York Supreme Court jury found the law firm owned by Shapiro had engaged in misleading advertising and legal malpractice
and awarded a $1.5 million judgment against Shapiro.
Consequently, In 2004 he was suspended from practicing law for one year in New York. In 2005 he was also suspended from practicing law for one year in Florida.
Shapiro said the decision to suspend him from practicing in New York was "unfair and unconstitutional" but claimed the ruling would have little effect because he had sold his Rochester office and was now promoting books.
In December, 2004, four additional former clients unsuccessfully sued Shapiro for unspecified damages, alleging he had engaged in misleading advertising and legal malpractice.
. He has also donated land in Rochester valued at $120,000 to be used as a park for children.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
who was known in the Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
areas (as well as some areas of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
where the Rochester station WUHF
WUHF
WUHF is the Fox-affiliated television station for Rochester, New York. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 28 from a transmitter on Pinnacle Hill on the border between Rochester and Brighton. The station can also be seen on Time Warner channel 7 and in high definition on...
is available on cable) for his aggressive television commercials
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
, as well as for a letter of solicitation he sent to a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
tose accident victim.
Career
Shapiro graduated from Boston University Law SchoolBoston University School of Law
Boston University School of Law is the law school affiliated with Boston University, and is ranked #22 among American law schools by US News and World Report magazine. It is the second-oldest law school in Massachusetts and one of the first law schools in the country to admit students regardless...
. He is a member of the New York Bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
, and the Plaintiff's Securities Lawyers Group. He founded three law firms and had offices in Broward County, Florida
Broward County, Florida
-2000 Census:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,623,018 people, 654,445 households, and 411,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,346 people per square mile . There were 741,043 housing units at an average density of 615 per square mile...
; Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, and Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, New York.
In the 1990s, Shapiro became controversial for his self-promotional television commercials in which he promised to obtain large financial settlements for accident victims, referred to himself as "the meanest, nastiest S.O.B.
SOB
Sob is a verb meaning cry.SOB and SoB may refer to:* Seventeen or Bust, a distributed computing project* Special Operations Battalion , an elite unit of the Croatian army* Sobralia, a genus of orchids* Society of Old Brooklynites...
in town” and claimed to have "aggressive courtroom prowess". His ads' visuals frequently included vehicle crashes, falling bodies, and explosions. He also began selling not-for-profit t-shirts which featured "a vicious beast with blood dripping from its fangs" and the words "Protected by Vicious S.O.B., Jim The Hammer Shapiro."
Shapiro sold all three law firms and now writes books. He is the author of Victims [sic] Rights to Maximum Cash, Sue the Bastards, Million Dollar Lungs, Injury Victims [sic] Rights to Maximum Cash, Instant Credit Repair and Get Back All Your Lost Investments!. The Information on books recently published by James Shapiro are at http://www.linkedin.com/in/shapirojames and http://www.amazon.com/Get-Back-Your-Lost-Investments/dp/1883527236
In 2007, Shapiro's advertisements were cited by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Democrat and Chronicle
The Democrat and Chronicle is the most widely circulated daily newspaper in the greater Rochester, New York area. Located at 55 Exchange Boulevard in downtown Rochester, the Democrat and Chronicle operates under the ownership of Gannett. The paper's production facility is located in the town of...
as partial inspiration for a new set of rules the New York State Court System has implemented that limit attorneys' advertisements. The new rules prohibit, among other things, nicknames such as "The Hammer". The constitutionality
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
of the rules was called into question when Judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
Frederick Scullin
Frederick Scullin
Frederick James Scullin, Jr. is an American attorney and senior judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York.-Early life and education:Scullin was born in Syracuse, New York...
of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Northern District of New York serves one of the 94 judicial districts in the United States and one of four in the state of New York. The U.S. Attorney for the district is Richard S. Hartunian...
permanently enjoined
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
some of the provisions in July 2007.
Bar discipline
In 2002, Christopher Wagner, a former client, sued Shapiro for malpractice. Wagner was injured in a 1995 motor vehicle accident and had responded to Shapiro's commercials. Wagner claimed he had incurred $USD182,000 in medical bills, but Shapiro's firm, Shapiro and Shapiro, encouraged him to accept a settlement of $65,000, promising more money could be obtained in a lawsuit against the state of New York. However, the state had no liability and Shapiro never pursued any further action on Wagner's behalf.In its opinion suspending Shapiro, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, found that he had "never tried a case to its conclusion [in New York] and had conducted approximately 10 depositions." Shapiro had lived in Florida since 1995, remotely supervising his New York office. Wagner's lawyer, Robert Williams, claimed Shapiro's firm in Rochester was staffed by one lawyer who had only taken four cases to trial. The New York Supreme Court jury found the law firm owned by Shapiro had engaged in misleading advertising and legal malpractice
Malpractice
In law, malpractice is a type of negligence in, which the professional under a duty to act, fails to follow generally accepted professional standards, and that breach of duty is the proximate cause of injury to a plaintiff who suffers harm...
and awarded a $1.5 million judgment against Shapiro.
Consequently, In 2004 he was suspended from practicing law for one year in New York. In 2005 he was also suspended from practicing law for one year in Florida.
Shapiro said the decision to suspend him from practicing in New York was "unfair and unconstitutional" but claimed the ruling would have little effect because he had sold his Rochester office and was now promoting books.
In December, 2004, four additional former clients unsuccessfully sued Shapiro for unspecified damages, alleging he had engaged in misleading advertising and legal malpractice.
Philanthropy
Shapiro is known for his philanthropy in Rochester. Since 1996, he has donated $7,500 per year to elementary schools to purchase books. He has indicated that his goal is to put $600,000 worth of books into schools within ten years. In 1996, he donated 86.5 acres (350,053.4 m²) of land worth $800,000 to the Rochester YMCAYMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
. He has also donated land in Rochester valued at $120,000 to be used as a park for children.
In popular culture
- Dunkin Donuts parodied Shapiro in a commercial for its breakfast menu in 2010, with a sound-alike named Bob "The Bulldozer" Phillips. Phillips imitated Shapiro's "every single penny" advertisement almost to the letter.
Publications
- Shapiro, J., Sue the Bastards, Advertising Consultants World Wide Inc., 1997
- Shapiro, J., Victims Rights to Maximum Cash,
- Shapiro, J., Million Dollar Lungs
- Shapiro, J., Injury Victims Rights to Maximum Cash, 1992
- Shapiro, J., Get Back All Your Lost Investments!