Shapiro & Associates

What Shapiro & Associates does

Shapiro & Associates is a boutique law firm headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, providing specialized legal services in real estate, land use, zoning, commercial litigation, cannabis regulation, and government relations. Founded by Dan Shapiro — a practicing attorney who also served as Mayor of Deerfield and President of the Northwest Municipal Conference — the firm leverages the founder's hybrid public/private sector experience to advise clients on navigating municipal approvals, zoning entitlements, and complex land use matters. The client base includes real estate developers (multi-family, national home builders, industrial), cannabis operators, assisted living and senior living providers, park districts, school districts, and individual property owners across the Chicago metropolitan area and broader Illinois market. Named engagements include a 69-acre senior living and apartment development for Edward Rose & Sons in Will County and a 6,500+ sq ft flagship buildout for Persin & Robbin Jewelers in Deer Park.

The firm's four core practice areas are Land Use, Litigation, Cannabis, and Government Relations, supported by four specialized services: Land Use Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Economic Development, and Real Estate Transactions. The core team consists of four named professionals — founder Dan Shapiro, attorneys Dawn Goldhirsh and Jamie Baer, and Melissa Perry — augmented by collaborative relationships with external counsel such as Attorney Michael Goldhirsh for complex transactions including $20M+ debt restructurings and large-scale commercial/industrial acquisitions. The firm maintains an active cannabis regulatory litigation practice, including successful reversal of wrongful IDFPR denials and pending cases against the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Revenue is generated entirely through professional legal fees under project-based, hourly, and retainer engagement structures. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and direct, relying on the founder's reputation, professional referrals, the firm's Deerfield office presence, and content marketing via a blog covering Illinois real estate, zoning, cannabis, and municipal law. The firm is a privately held Illinois LLC with no disclosed institutional investment, no parent company, and no M&A history. Shapiro & Associates exhibits no proprietary technology platform and is not a technology company; its competitive position is grounded in attorney expertise, regulatory specialization (particularly in Illinois cannabis law), and established relationships with local governmental entities.

Name

Shapiro & Associates

Legal name

Shapiro & Associates Law

Website

https://shapiroassociateslaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Northbrook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: Revenue generated through professional legal fees for land use, zoning, litigation, and government relations services. Engagement structures include project-based billing, hourly rates, and retainer arrangements depending on client needs and matter complexity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Shapiro & Associates is a boutique law firm that represents developers, businesses, government entities, and individuals in land use, zoning, real estate transactions, commercial litigation, and Illinois cannabis licensing and regulatory matters. Engagements are typically structured as project-based matters or ongoing retainers covering entitlements, planning board approvals, litigation in state and federal courts, and counsel on state and local cannabis regulations.

Product overview

Shapiro & Associates is a boutique law firm, not a technology product company. The firm offers legal services organized into four core practice areas: Land Use (including zoning, subdivision, PUDs, annexation, and land use litigation), Litigation (civil, commercial, and land use litigation), Cannabis (business licensing, zoning, and compliance), and Government Relations (municipal law, economic development). These core areas are supported by specialized services including Land Use Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Economic Development, and Real Estate Transactions. The firm does not offer software products, platforms, or technology solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Land Use Legal Services Land use and zoning legal representation for developers across residential, retail, commercial, and industrial projects; covers planning board and court approvals, map amendments, text amendments, planned unit development (PUD), special uses, subdivision approvals, zoning variances, annexations, and land use litigation.
• Litigation Civil and commercial litigation services encompassing business and contract disputes, real estate matters, administrative law and review, and land use litigation at trial and appellate stages in Illinois state and federal courts.
• Cannabis Legal Services Legal counsel for cannabis businesses spanning state licensing applications with IDFPR and Department of Agriculture, local zoning compliance, business formation, real estate acquisition for dispensaries and cultivation sites, and ongoing regulatory compliance under Illinois cannabis regulations.
• Government Relations Legal representation for local governmental entities — municipalities, counties, park districts, townships, libraries, school districts, and special districts — covering municipal law, zoning, FOIA, Open Meetings Act, economic development, and special counsel appointments.
• Economic Development Economic development legal services including identifying stimulus funding, obtaining development incentives, tax increment financing, real property tax abatements, and securing government approvals.
• Real Estate Transactions Commercial real estate acquisition and disposition representation with focus on legal and practical solutions tailored to client transaction goals.

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Attorney Michael GoldhirshsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaboration on complex real estate transactions including restructuring of $20M+ secured and unsecured debt load for an Illinois care facility, and sale/acquisition of commercial/industrial properties including manufacturing facilities, retail, and mixed-use properties.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aronberg Goldgehn Davis & Garmisa: Chicago boutique with a recognized land use, zoning, and real estate development practice serving developers and municipalities — a directly comparable Illinois boutique peer.
• Del Galdo Law Group, LLC: Chicago-area boutique focused on municipal law, zoning, land use, economic development, and government litigation. Comparable in size, regional focus, and practice mix to Shapiro & Associates.
• Ancel Glink, PC: Illinois-based boutique law firm with deep municipal law, land use, zoning, and government relations practices serving cities, villages, park districts, and school districts across the Chicago metropolitan area — a near-direct functional peer to Shapiro & Associates' government relations and land use work.
• Klein, Thorpe and Jenkins, Ltd. Illinois boutique law firm specializing in municipal law, zoning, land use, and government representation for municipalities and school districts — directly comparable to Shapiro & Associates' local government and land use practice.
• Vicente Sederberg LLP: National cannabis-focused law firm with deep licensing, regulatory, and land use expertise serving multi-state operators — directly comparable to Shapiro & Associates' cannabis practice for Illinois operators seeking national counsel.
• Robbins Schwartz: Chicago-based boutique focused on municipal law, school district representation, land use, zoning, and litigation. Closely comparable to Shapiro & Associates in serving Illinois public-sector clients and developers on land use matters.

Broad incumbents

• Husch Blackwell LLP: National firm with a dedicated cannabis industry practice and broader real estate/zoning capabilities. Comparable on the cannabis-legal-services axis and competes for the same multi-state cannabis operator clients.
• Frost Brown Todd LLP: Multi-state firm with a leading cannabis industry practice and full-service real estate and litigation capabilities — competes with Shapiro & Associates for cannabis licensing and zoning mandates.
• Amundsen Davis LLC: Full-service Illinois firm (formerly Laner Muchin) with substantial land use, zoning, real estate, and litigation practices serving developers and municipalities. Broader portfolio than Shapiro but overlapping on the land use and zoning matters central to the firm.
• Greenspoon Marder LLP: Full-service firm with a nationally recognized cannabis practice and broader commercial real estate and litigation services; overlaps with Shapiro & Associates on cannabis licensing, zoning, and commercial litigation matters.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ShapiroAssociatesLaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shapiro-associates-law

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 & Associates