Attorneys

Expert negotiator, attorney, sports agent, educator, and author, Ron Shapiro graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1967. In 1972, while serving as Maryland State Securities Commissioner, he founded what would become the law firm of Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler, developing a national reputation for his handling of corporate and securities law matters.  Four years later he started Shapiro, Robinson & Associates, a sports management firm, and in 1995 he founded Shapiro Negotiations Institute, a negotiation seminar and consulting firm.

USA Today has called Ron Shapiro “one of baseball’s most respected agent-attorneys,” and The Sporting News has named him one of the “100 most powerful people in sports.” He has negotiated an aggregate of over one billion dollars in contracts for numerous sports celebrities, including five Hall of Famers: Cal Ripken, Jr., Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, Kirby Puckett, and Eddie Murray.

Mr. Shapiro’s dispute resolution techniques have resolved a variety of corporate, employment, and governmental disputes, including a major symphony orchestra strike. He has negotiated on behalf of, or served as deal coach to, Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and entertainment and news personalities. He is frequently cited by parties on both sides of a negotiation as the ultimate "Win-Win" negotiator.

In October 1998, Mr. Shapiro’s first book, THE POWER OF NICE: HOW TO NEGOTIATE SO EVERYONE WINS- ESPECIALLY YOU! (Revised Edition, 2001), was published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. THE POWER OF NICE® was excerpted in Fortune Magazine and named one of the “Top Ten ‘On the Job’ Business Books of the Year” by the Library Journal. Mr. Shapiro’s second book, BULLIES, TYRANTS & IMPOSSIBLE PEOPLE: HOW TO BEAT THEM WITHOUT JOINING THEM, was released by Crown Books (Random House) in June 2005 and made The Wall Street Journal’s Best Seller List in its first week of publication. Mr. Shapiro’s latest book, DARE TO PREPARE: HOW TO WIN BEFORE YOU BEGIN, also published by Crown Books, made The New York Times Best Seller List for business books in January 2008.

Mr. Shapiro has also authored more than 20 law journal articles; co-authored books on corporate and securities law; and began a legal publishing company. He has taught at the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland School of Law, and the University of Baltimore School of Law, where he was honored for teaching excellence. Mr. Shapiro was named the 1996 Edward B. Shils Lecturer in Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He has appeared as a negotiations expert on ABC's "Good Morning America," National Public Radio's "Morning Edition," and ABC's “Nightline," among other programs. In addition, he has hosted a weekly talk show and a series of prime time specials on NBC Baltimore affiliates.

Deeply committed to the people and communities of Maryland, Mr. Shapiro has chaired over 25 boards of charitable and community organizations. He was Treasurer and Finance Chairman for former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Chesapeake Region 2012 Coalition (U.S. Olympics Bid Committee). In 1999 and 2000 he helped create, on a pro bono basis, the World Umpires Association, which is now represented by Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler attorneys. Mr. Shapiro (pronounced Shap-EYE-ro) has received numerous awards and recognition for his service to the community and the profession of law.

Books

Dare to Prepare: How to Win Before You Begin. By Ronald M. Shapiro with Gregory Jordan. Crown Business, January 2008.

Bullies, Tyrants & Impossible People: How To Beat Them Without Joining Them. By Ronald M. Shapiro and Mark A. Jankowski, with James Dale. Crown Business, June 2005.

The Power of Nice: How to Negotiate So Everyone Wins — Especially You! By Ronald M. Shapiro and Mark A. Jankowski. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2001, revised edition.

News

Ronald M. Shapiro is selected for inclusion in the forthcoming 2008 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

WYPR airs feature on the close family ties between Ron Shapiro, his son-in-law Eric Mangini (head coach of the New York Jets), and his son Mark Shapiro (general manager of the Cleveland Indians and Major League Baseball's Executive of the Year in 2007).

The May 2006 issue of Baltimore SmartCEO Magazine names Ron Shapiro as one of the city's "Twenty Most Admired Leaders."

"Negotiations Training Is This Agent's Secret," Baltimore Sun, 10/10/2005.

The Marc Steiner Show, WYPR, 9/7/2005: Ronald M. Shapiro discusses his new bestselling book Bullies, Tyrants, & Impossible People: How to Beat Them Without Joining Them.

"Cal Inc.", Baltimore Sun, 9/4/2005: A feature on Cal Ripken, Jr.'s business and non-profit pursuits quotes Ron Shapiro.

"When Heroes Falter, it's Forgive or Forget," Baltimore Sun, 8/7/2005: The Sun turns to Ron Shapiro to comment on image crises in professional sports and the Major League Baseball steroids scandal.

"Tuesday Recess Looms As Obstacle To Funding," Baltimore Sun, 12/17/2004: To gain insight into the negotiations between Major League Baseball and the DC Council on the construction of a new stadium for the Washington Nationals, the Sun turns to Ron Shapiro.

"Amity & Irony", Baltimore Magazine, August 2004: "Over the course of 37 years, Larry Gibson and Ron Shapiro have molded city politics, helped integrate its neighborhoods, and remained best friends…”

"Sports and Entertainment Legend Advances Legal Field", The Maryland Bar Journal, May/June 2004: "Ronald M. Shapiro is a sports legend in the major leagues. This living legend, a nationally recognized attorney, sports agent, teacher, expert negotiator and author, is a national celebrity in the world of sports and entertainment. A pioneer in the sports and entertainment legal arena, Shapiro has been instrumental in advancing this area of law practice, and his enormous success has contributed to its current widespread popularity."