Ed Shapiro retired from the partnership in December 2019. He was an experienced litigator of a wide variety of matters, with particular experience in complex civil litigation and in the conduct and defense of investigations into allegations of complex fraud or other wrongful business conduct. Mr. Shapiro has deep courtroom experience, having been lead trial counsel in dozens of forums (including state and federal courts in each of New York, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota, as well as administrative courts and arbitral forums such as the American Arbitration Association (AAA), the NASD, and the International Chamber of Commerce). He has represented clients across a broad spectrum of subject matters, including securities fraud, procurement fraud, corporate governance disputes, and commercial contract and tort disputes.
Mr. Shapiro has experience in, and has represented government contractors with respect to, False Claims Act cases brought both by qui tam relators and the government; cost accounting disputes; product quality and testing issues; Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations and disclosures; suspension and debarment proceedings and administrative agreements; bid protests before courts, agencies, and the US Government Accountability Office (GAO); contract claims; and issues of foreign ownership, control and influence of US government contractors, and related security clearance issues.
He has assisted both US target businesses and foreign acquirers in obtaining CFIUS approval for their transactions, both by presenting to the government the characteristics of the parties and the transaction to support deal clearance, and by structuring governance arrangements (including mitigation agreements of various kinds). He has also helped assist such companies maintain the highest levels of security clearance following foreign acquisition of control.
From 1986-88, Mr. Shapiro was Assistant General Counsel of the Department of Defense, where he and his staff were responsible for, among other matters, management of the Department's legal response to the Iran-Contra investigation, defense industrial security matters, and ethics/standards of conduct issues.
Mr. Shapiro also has deep and broad experience in investigations and disputes arising from issues of corporate governance and regulatory compliance. In particular, he has represented companies, board committees, and individuals in securities enforcement proceedings and related investigations, and in related securities and commercial fraud civil litigation. These investigations and related proceedings have included allegations of improper accounting, marketing, and contract administration practices. He also has significant experience in both prosecuting and defending claims of breach of fiduciary duty and injunctive actions concerning issues of corporate governance and control, and has tried numerous business and asset valuation disputes.
Mr. Shapiro has also litigated disputes between businesses extensively, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in complex contract, tort, and statutory tort disputes. He has particular experience in litigating technical accounting and/or engineering issues in industries including energy, aerospace and defense, telecommunications, financial services, construction, and real estate.