A graduate of Trinity College, Judge James Shapiro earned a juris doctor from the College of William and Mary, where he was Best Oralist and a member of the first-place team in the William and Mary Federal Courts Moot Court Tournament.

1. Judge James
Shapiro
J U D G E W I T H M E D I AT O R , AT T O R N E Y, A N D
T E A C H I N G E X P E R I E N C E

2. Handling a family law caseload at the Circuit Court of Cook
County, Chicago, Judge James Shapiro has been active in
various settings of state and federal law since the late
1980s. Judge James Shapiro’s position in the court’s
Domestic Relations Division builds on experience presiding
over diverse criminal cases, from misdemeanors to
felonies.
During an extended break from the bench, from 2013 to
2018, Mr. Shapiro practiced law privately while guiding
mediation and arbitration processes with Resolute
Systems in Chicago. His caseload included product liability
matters, accidents on construction sites, commercial
contracts, and cases related to the Rehabilitation Act. He
assisted clients in avoiding costly court litigation, drawing
on experience practicing on both sides of such cases, as
well as presiding over them.
While attending the College of William & Mary Law School,
Mr. Shapiro was active as a columnist and vice chair of the
Publications Council for The Advocate. He earned
distinction as best oralist and first place team member in
the campus Federal Courts Moot Court Tournament.
Extensively published in his field, Mr. Shapiro has served
as an adjunct professor of intensive trial advocacy with the
Loyola University School of Law.