Saul Shapiro is a Partner and Chair of the firm's Media and Entertainment Practice Team. He is the immediate past Chair of the firm's Litigation department, which he headed for two terms. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, as well as intellectual property disputes. He has won the dismissal of numerous cases on pre-trial motions. He has also been lead counsel in seven trials, and he has been victorious in all four of the jury trials he has taken to verdict. Mr. Shapiro is an experienced appellate lawyer, and has conducted numerous internal investigations. 

The National Law Journal recently named Mr. Shapiro to its 2023 list of “Media & Entertainment Law Trailblazers.” Mr. Shapiro is also regularly recognized as a leading practitioner in Chambers USA. Chambers has noted that clients say Mr. Shapiro is “a fantastic lawyer,” and is “known for handling high-stakes litigation, both commercial and media and entertainment focused.” Chambers quotes a client who comments that: “If we have litigation, he would be my first choice. He's a brilliant lawyer, extremely good to work with, pragmatic and has a great personality. Whenever issues come up day to day, I call Saul.” Chambers also highlights that Mr. Shapiro is “sharp, thorough, highly collaborative, strategic and easy to work with" and "has a great amount of experience." Clients also praise the "astute and highly talented” Mr. Shapiro for “his understanding of the pressures facing clients” and “his amazingly quick turnaround times."

Benchmark: America's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys lists Mr. Shapiro as a "Litigation Star" for New York. Clients quoted in Benchmark Litigation have said of Mr. Shapiro, “He is a highly intelligent, diligent and commercial-minded attorney who is enjoyable to work with.” Mr. Shapiro is also named among The Best Lawyers in America®, and was recognized as a “Lawyer of the Year” in the practice area of Media Law for 2021.

Prior to joining Patterson Belknap, Mr. Shapiro graduated from Yale Law School, where he was an Editor of the Yale Law Journal, and clerked for the Hon. Robert L. Carter in the Southern District of New York.

Bar Admissions

• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit; Fourth Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
• New York
• District of Columbia

Education

• Yale Law School (J.D., 1986)
  • Editor, Yale Law Journal
• Brown University (A.B., magna cum laude, 1981)

HONORS: Recognized by Chambers USA in the area of Media & Entertainment Litigation; Listed as a "Litigation Star" for New York in Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC’s Benchmark: America's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys; Named among The Best Lawyers in America; Named by The National Law Journal  in its 2023 list of Media & Entertainment Trailblazers; Designated an "Elder of the Village" by Legal Outreach, the non-profit educational organization's highest honor. 

MEMBERSHIPS: Chair, Federal Bar Council Public Service Committee; Member (and past Chair), Advisory Board for Legal Outreach; Board Member, Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A; Member, New York State Bar Association (Committee on Media Law); Member, Attorney Advisory Group of the Second Circuit Judicial Council Committee on Civic Education & Public Engagement