Shapiro Law Team

Bios

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  David Shapiro

  Founder / Attorney

  David Shapiro is an accomplished attorney who devoted his career to representing injured people against wrongdoers and irresponsible parties. Licensed to practice in Arizona and New Mexico, Mr. Shapiro has helped countless injured clients and their families recover substantial verdicts and settlements. Immediately after graduating law school, Shapiro gained invaluable experience from a well-known firm. With his unique vision and his desire to advocate exclusively for personal injury victims, Shapiro left his distinguished position and founded what is now known as Shapiro Law Team. The award-winning personal injury attorneys at Shapiro Law Team are fierce advocates for justice with substantial trial experience and grit. They fight for life-changing results that give injured victims and their families hope for a better future.

  Education:

  Services:

  Link: David Shapiro

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  Charles Wallace

  Attorney

  With three decades of litigation experience, Charles has amassed over 75 million dollars in verdicts and settlements for his personal injury clients. After moving to the Valley from Chicago, Charles had many firms vying for his services, he chose the Shapiro Law Team over all the others. Charles has won million and multi-million dollar verdicts in almost all types of personal injury cases; including medical malpractice, police wrongful death, construction site injuries, slip and falls, premises liability, vehicular crashes, and more. Charles learned the art of advocacy at a very young age. Both his father and his grandfather were accomplished attorneys. After graduating from law school, Charles was appointed an Assistant Attorney General of Illinois. He spent four years gaining invaluable experience going to trial against some of the biggest and most prestigious law firms in the country. The fact that he never lost a trial was noticed and he was lured into private practice by an insurance defense firm. Charles spent the longest year of his life learning the strategies and tactics that insurance companies use to avoid taking responsibility for harm done to undeserving individuals. His true calling as a plaintiff’s lawyer was revealed and he has never looked back. After leaving the defense industry, Charles went on to work at two of the most distinguished plaintiff’s personal injury firms in Chicago. He has now brought all his experience and expertise to the Shapiro Law Team. When he isn’t working for our clients, Charles enjoys spending time with his incredible wife (also a lawyer) and their dogs. He is an avid tennis player and enjoys going to sporting events, concerts and the theater.

  Education:

  Services:

  Link: Charles Wallace

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  Heather Bushor

  Attorney

  Ms. Bushor is an Arizona native and second generation Arizona attorney. She joined Shapiro Law Team in February 2019. Prior to joining Shapiro Law Team, Ms. Bushor spent a decade working as an insurance defense attorney for the largest insurance defense firm in Arizona. In that time, she learned the tricks and tactics of the defense side and uses that knowledge to help advocate for personal injury victims. In her free time, Ms. Bushor spends time with her family which includes merely surviving in a home with 5 kids (3 of which are teenagers). Ms. Bushor is an avid hiker and recently completed Rim to Rim at the Grand Canyon. She also enjoys wine-tasting (see reference to 5 kids above) and golf.

  Education:

  Services:

  Link: Heather Bushor

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  Jackson Ross

  Attorney

  Jackson is a personal injury attorney at Shapiro Law Team that actively represents plaintiffs in cases involving motor vehicle collisions including: motorcycles, commercial trucking and pedestrian accidents, dog bites, premises liability, general liability, dram shop, serious injury, and wrongful death. Last year alone he helped obtain over 6 million dollars in settlements for his clients. Before practicing in personal injury, Jackson was a criminal defense attorney and has tried hundreds of civil and criminal traffic cases across Arizona. He is passionate and takes every case personally. He understands that being involved in an accident can be overwhelming and leave you hopeless. Which is why he is relentless in his pursuit of life-changing results for injured victims and their families. “He is passionate and takes every case personally. He understands that being involved in an accident can be overwhelming and leave you hopeless. Which is why he is relentless in his pursuit of life-changing results for injured victims and their families.” Jackson was born in Dallas, Texas but was raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He graduated from local Great Hearts high school Chandler Preparatory Academy, and then went back to Texas to complete his undergraduate degree. At Austin College he graduated magna cum laude, doubled majoring in business administration and political science, and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society. He was also a member of student government, a peer tutor, a member of the community service board, co-founded his own service organization: The Human Environmental Animal Team, and played NCAA Division III basketball. Jackson received his law degree from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. He is licensed in Arizona and admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court in Arizona. In Jackson’s free time, he enjoys staying active, playing golf and tennis, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. When he gets the chance, he also enjoys skiing and snowboarding.

  Education:

  Services:

  Link: Jackson Ross

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  Jacob Pierce

  Attorney

  Jacob Pierce is a young and hungry attorney at Shapiro Law Team. Jacob was one of the first interns Shapiro Law Team ever hired. Since clerking at the firm during his first summer of law school, Jacob has never left and has always seen David Shapiro as his professional mentor. As such, he is the first home-grown attorney in Shapiro Law Team’s young existence. Jacob was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. After finishing high school, he attended The Ohio State University before ultimately obtaining his undergraduate degree in political science degree from the University of Michigan. While at Ohio State University, Jacob was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. After his undergraduate studies, and sick of the cold, Jacob wanted to attend Law School somewhere warm. He earned and accepted the O’Conor full-ride merit scholarship from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Jacob subsequently received his law degree from ASU as well. In his free time, Jacob devotes himself to his amazing wife, Emily and their cat & dog, Koda and Vincent. He is also an avid athlete. He plays men’s league hockey and maintains a low golf handicap. Emily and Jacob also love trying new restaurants in the valley, going to the movies, and traveling to see family and friends

  Education:

  Services:

  Link: Jacob Pierce

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  Jaric Erike

  Attorney

  Jaric Erike is a personal injury attorney at Shapiro Law Team. Before practicing in personal injury, Jaric was a medical malpractice defense attorney, managing a full federal caseload and representing some of the largest healthcare providers in Arizona. He also spent time as a corporate counsel for a local technology company, holding executive positions in the legal, sales, and marketing divisions of the company. “Jaric is passionate about helping personal injury victims obtain the justice they deserve but understands that the process can at times feel overwhelming. He helps simplify the complex personal injury prelitigation and litigation processes allowing clients to feel confident throughout the case, not just at the end.” Jaric was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona, and went to local high school Brophy College Preparatory before moving to Los Angeles and finishing at Loyola High School. He then completed his undergraduate degree at Loyola Marymount University where he obtained a finance degree with a concentration in business law, and was a recipient of the Kenneth Olsen Scholarship Award. He was also a founding father of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity chapter and an executive board member of the Business Law Society. Jaric received his law degree from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Here, he was a member of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society, and the Black Law Student Association, and received the Class of 2018 Sandra Day O’Connor Dean’s Award. Jaric is licensed in Arizona and admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court in Arizona. In Jaric’s free time, he enjoys staying active, traveling, writing and directing films, and spending time with family and friends.

  Services:

  Link: Jaric Erike

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  Jessica Zink

  Attorney

  Jessica Zink is a personal injury attorney at Shapiro Law Team. She understands the complexities of the civil legal system and has a passion for helping victims who have been injured by the negligence of others. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and received her B.A. from the University of Missouri, where she was named to the Dean’s List throughout her undergraduate studies. Jessica received her law degree from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. She is licensed in Arizona and admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court in Arizona. Jessica actively represents plaintiffs in cases involving motor vehicle crashes, dram shop, premises liability, and wrongful death. She is experienced in handling civil litigation matters in both state and federal court, including bringing jury trials to verdict. She is fluent in Spanish and is a member of the Arizona Association for Justice. During her free time, Jessica enjoys being outdoors, music, and spending time with family and friends.

  Education:

  Services:

  Link: Jessica Zink

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  Kevin Valdez

  Attorney

  Kevin Valdez is an attorney in our personal injury department. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of Maryland and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. After law school Kevin was selected for a national fellowship with the Public Defender Corp, a national program focused on improving trial advocacy for public defenders in southern states. Upon completion of his fellowship, Kevin moved to Maryland where he practiced as a Public Defender and was awarded the In re Gault award from the Maryland Office of the Public Defender for excellence in advocacy for juvenile clients. Upon moving to Arizona with his partner, Kevin began working as a personal injury attorney and now brings his extensive experience as a trial attorney to Shapiro Law where he provides zealous representation to his clients both in and outside of the courtroom.

  Education:

  Services:

  Link: Kevin Valdez

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  Kurt Maahs

  Attorney

  Mr. Maahs joined Shapiro Law Team in November 2021. For over 30 years, Mr. Maahs has successfully tried, arbitrated, and mediated hundreds of cases including wrongful death, trucking, product liability, road design and defect, car crashes, and commercial litigation. He’s ​​obtained numerous verdicts and settlements worth millions of dollars, including helping a client obtain a $5.7 million settlement for a major trucking accident. Prior to representing individuals injured due to the fault of others, he spent time as legal counsel for major corporations, including Walgreens, State Farm, Johnson and Johnson, Marriott, JGL Industries, and Home Depot. He also spent time as legal counsel for major corporations, including Walgreens, State Farm, Johnson and Johnson, Marriott, and Home Depot. After earning a degree in criminal justice from the University of Nebraska—Lincoln (1991), he graduated from the University of Nebraska Law School (1994). Since then, Mr. Maahs has focused on providing the highest quality and most effective representation to his clients. He is admitted to the Bar in the state of Arizona as well as Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. When he’s not working, Mr. Maahs enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, running, reading, golfing, and following the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

  Education:

  Services:

  Link: Kurt Maahs

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  Max Moser

  Attorney

  Max is a personal injury attorney at Shapiro Law Team. He currently represents clients in cases involving motor vehicle crashes, premise liability, and wrongful death. Max is originally from Pennsylvania. He received a Bachelor of Science from Marist College in 2014. After working in manufacturing for a number of years, Max relocated to Arizona to pursue a legal career. He received his J.D. from the University of Arizona James E. Rodgers College of Law in 2021 and has worked for Shapiro Law Team since. In addition to being an attorney, Max is also an active musician. His time outside of work is often spent performing with a number of local bands. Max also enjoys the outdoors and likes to go hiking when time allows.

  Education:

  Services:

  Link: Max Moser

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  Ray Norris

  Attorney

  Raymond Norris is a personal injury attorney at Shapiro Law Team. He specializes in catastrophic personal injury, with particular expertise in brain and spinal cord injuries, along with medical malpractice, product liability, wrongful death, and mediation of disputes. Prior to joining Shapiro Law Team, Ray practiced in Phoenix as a senior trial attorney in the area of personal injury and medical malpractice for more than 30 years. “Ray is an experienced trial attorney representing clients in major medical malpractice and personal injury cases as well as commercial and business disputes, product liability lawsuits, police misconduct claims, and insurance bad faith cases.” Throughout his career, Ray has spoken extensively about traumatic brain injuries and trial advocacy. He conducted trial preparation and jury selection focus groups and acted as a mediator in settlement conferences, helping disputing parties reach a resolution. Ray began this area of practice many years ago when first appointed as a judge pro tem for the Maricopa County Superior Court. As a judge pro tem, Ray presided over trials when a judge was unavailable and conducted numerous settlement conferences for parties involved in lawsuits. He found helping lawyers and clients resolve disputes rewarding and decided to make it a regular component of his practice. Though he primarily represents plaintiffs, Ray has experience representing defendants as well. Additionally, he served as an expert witness in legal malpractice cases for both plaintiffs and defendants. He also served as a sitting judge for both jury and bench trials. His combined knowledge of being a trial attorney, expert witness, and trial judge has provided unmatched insight and perspective on the workings of our legal system. Ray brings expertise and enthusiasm to each settlement conference and has had tremendous success with settlements.

  Education:

  Services:

  Link: Ray Norris

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  Rick Horton

  Attorney

  Rick Horton is a trial attorney at Shapiro Law Team concentrating his practice in personal injury matters. More specifically, Rick focuses on motor vehicle and trucking collisions, catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, products liability, premises liability, and civil rights violations. “For over 25 years, Rick has litigated complex issues of liability and damages nationwide, serving as lead counsel in several high-profile, catastrophic injury cases.” Rick is licensed to practice in Arizona, Oklahoma, and Missouri, and is admitted in both state and federal courts. He received his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, where he was a member of the Baylor baseball team, and earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Tulsa College of Law. After graduation, Rick defended insurance companies in auto collision cases, as well as premises liability cases, having tried over 75 cases to a jury. His superior litigation skills earned the trust of insurance companies such as Allstate, Farmers, State Farm, and Liberty Mutual. Preferring to represent individual victims as opposed to big companies, Rick now uses his experiences to fight on behalf of victims in motor vehicle collisions, products liability, premises liability, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death cases. Along with his work as an attorney, Rick enjoys spending time with his wife, their horse, and two border collie dogs in the great outdoors of Arizona.

  Education:

  Services:

  Link: Rick Horton

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  Yelena Shimonova

  Counsel

  Yelena is a personal injury attorney advocating for victims that have suffered personal injuries as the result of someone else’s negligence. Her passion lies in the ability to be the voice for personal injury victims and ensuring they aren’t taken advantage of by insurance companies. Yelena obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with a Minor in Psychology from Arizona State University and went on to hold a Juris Doctorate degree from Arizona Summit School of Law. She is licensed in Arizona and admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court in Arizona. Throughout her legal career Yelena has advocated for hundreds of Arizonian’s and successfully resolved their personal injury claims.

  Education:

  Link: Yelena Shimonova