Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

What Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp does

Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp is a privately-held personal injury law firm founded in 1985 and headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The firm represents injured individuals on a contingency fee basis ('no win, no fee'), advancing all litigation costs and earning fees only as a percentage of recovery. Its practice spans approximately twenty case-type modules including car and truck accidents, motorcycle crashes, FELA railroad worker injuries, medical malpractice, brain and spinal cord injuries, wrongful death, premises liability, product liability, nursing home abuse, mesothelioma/asbestos, rideshare accidents, and mass tort claims. The firm's historical anchor is FELA railroad injury litigation against Class I carriers such as CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Amtrak, tracing back to founder Eddie Wilson, a former Norfolk Southern worker who established the firm after sustaining a workplace injury.

The firm operates six physical offices across the Hampton Roads region of Virginia (Virginia Beach as headquarters, Norfolk, Hampton, Portsmouth, Suffolk) plus a Kitty Hawk, North Carolina location serving the Outer Banks. Attorneys are licensed in Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Washington D.C. Distribution is direct-to-consumer: free consultations, 24/7 phone availability, home and hospital visits, and a Spanish-language site support intake. The technology stack is conventional legal practice tooling (case and document management, litigation support) with no disclosed AI capabilities, supplemented by forensic evidence tools such as black box retrieval, video collection, and accident reconstruction. Marketing relies on organic SEO, a content library (blog, FAQs, video testimonials), and the firm's accumulated reputational assets including a Tier 1 U.S. News Best Law Firm ranking since 2010 and a $60 million record verdict.

Ownership is a partnership currently led by Richard N. Shapiro (joined 1993), Eric K. Washburn (elevated to partner in 2020), and Kevin D. Sharp. Rick Shapiro holds NBTA board certification in civil trials for over 20 years, 18 U.S. patents plus international patents on folding wheel technology, and has argued before multiple state supreme courts and the Fourth Circuit. The firm has grown entirely organically over four decades, with no external funding events, and has rebranded through several name iterations (Wilson & Hajek, Hajek & Shapiro, Shapiro Lewis & Appleton, Shapiro Lewis Appleton & Duffan) to its current identity adopted in 2022 alongside an office relocation.

Name

Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

Legal name

Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

Website

https://hsinjurylaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp is a Virginia Beach-based personal injury law firm representing injured individuals on a contingency fee basis across six offices in Virginia and North Carolina, with a historical specialty in FELA railroad worker injury litigation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Injury Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Other Legal Services (54119)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

Keywords

• Personal injury law
• Car accident representation
• Medical malpractice services
• Railroad injury litigation
• Wrongful death claims

Headquarters

HQ city

Virginia Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Personal Injury Legal Services - Contingency Fee: The firm represents personal injury clients on a contingency fee basis ('no win, no fee'). Fees are a percentage of compensation recovered through settlement or jury verdict. No fee is charged if no compensation is obtained. The firm advances all litigation costs and expenses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp represents injured individuals and their families in personal injury matters on a contingency fee basis (no win, no fee), advancing all litigation costs. The firm's core offering spans car, truck, motorcycle, rideshare, bicycle, pedestrian, boating, and bus accidents, as well as FELA railroad injuries, medical malpractice, brain and spinal cord injuries, wrongful death, premises liability, product liability, dog bites, electric shock, nursing home abuse, mesothelioma/asbestos, and mass tort claims. Free initial consultations are provided to all prospective clients across Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.

Product overview

Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp is a personal injury law firm offering comprehensive legal services through a unified practice model. The core offering is Personal Injury Legal Services, supplemented by specialized service modules covering distinct injury categories including Car Accident Legal Services, Truck Accident Legal Services, Motorcycle Accident Legal Services, Railroad/FELA Legal Services, Medical Malpractice Legal Services, Brain Injury Legal Services, Spinal Cord Injury Legal Services, Wrongful Death Legal Services, Pedestrian/Bicycle Accident Legal Services, Slip and Fall/Premises Liability Legal Services, Product Liability Legal Services, Dog Bite Legal Services, Boating/Watercraft Accident Legal Services, Nursing Home Abuse Legal Services, Mesothelioma/Asbestos Legal Services, Bus Accident Legal Services, Uber/Lyft/Rideshare Accident Legal Services, Electric Shock/Electrocution Legal Services, and Mass Tort & Fraud Claims Legal Services. The firm operates on a contingency fee basis ('no win, no fee') and advances all litigation costs for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Injury Legal Services Comprehensive contingency-fee legal representation for individuals injured due to negligence, covering car crashes, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, medical malpractice, wrongful death, brain and spinal cord injuries, premises liability, product liability, dog bites, electric shock, nursing home abuse, mesothelioma/asbestos, boating accidents, rideshare accidents, and mass tort claims. Free consultation; all litigation costs advanced.
• Railroad/FELA Legal Services Legal representation for injured railroad workers under the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA), handling claims against CSX, Norfolk Southern, Amtrak, and other railroad employers. Covers workplace injuries, occupational diseases (cancer, lung disease from asbestos/diesel fumes/radiation), and railroad crossing crashes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $100 million in verdicts and settlements recovered for clients since 1985
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Morgan & Morgan: The largest personal injury law firm in the United States, operating on a contingency fee model across all major PI practice areas (auto, trucking, medical malpractice, wrongful death). Direct competitor for the same plaintiff pool and advertiser in the same digital channels.
• Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen: Richmond-based personal injury firm with ~100 years of history serving Virginia. Closest geographic and practice-area analog to Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp — same contingency model, similar trial-ready positioning, and direct competition for Virginia PI cases.
• Tavss Fletcher: Norfolk, Virginia personal injury firm with a Hampton Roads footprint overlapping Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp's core Virginia Beach / Norfolk / Portsmouth territory. Competes head-to-head for the same regional auto and trucking accident cases.
• Riddle & Brantley: North Carolina-based personal injury firm with contingency fee model and broad PI practice including tractor-trailer, medical malpractice and wrongful death. Directly comparable to SW&S's Kitty Hawk, NC office and NC client pipeline.
• Koonz McKenney Johnson & DePaolis: Mid-Atlantic plaintiff personal injury firm serving Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. Operates on contingency with similar catastrophic injury, FELA-adjacent, and medical malpractice focus — competing for the same DC-adjacent PI matters.
• Cellino Law: Large contingency-fee personal injury firm (formerly Cellino & Barnes) with a heavily branded consumer-facing marketing model in personal injury, auto accidents, and catastrophic injury. Directly comparable contingency fee structure and case mix.
• Jim Adler Law: Texas-based personal injury firm ('The Texas Hammer') with a single named partner brand, contingency fee model, and emphasis on truck, auto, and product liability cases. Comparable marketing strategy anchored by a high-profile trial attorney.
• Mesriani Law Group: California-based personal injury firm with a contingency fee model covering auto, truck, motorcycle, premises liability, and wrongful death. Directly comparable consumer-facing PI practice and case mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hsinjurylaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/ShapiroWashburnSharp4705
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shapiro-washburn-sharp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp