Jonathan Shapiro graduated from Northwestern University in 1971 and from American University, Washington College of Law in 1974. He has been litigating cases ever since, with a three-year break to serve as a Clinical Instructor at the Criminal Justice Clinic, and as Director of the Institutionalized Persons Clinic at Washington College of Law. In 2001, he was honored by his law school with the Peter Cicchino Alumni Award for “Outstanding Advocacy in the Public Interest Within the United States,” as a distinguished criminal defense attorney.
Jon has handled countless criminal cases in the state and federal courts, including conspiracies and white-collar crimes, and has extensive appellate experience. He has also litigated a number of civil rights cases involving jails, prisons and institutions for the mentally disabled. Along with his partner Peter Greenspun, he handled the defense of John Muhammad, the accused “Beltway Sniper.” Jon also handled the defense of Jim Nicholson, a CIA Station Chief, and of Brian Regan, an NSA employee, both charged with espionage.
Jon has been listed for years in the Best Lawyers in America for White-Collar and Non-White-Collar Criminal Defense. He is frequently listed in Washingtonian Magazine’s Top Lawyers, most recently in 2011 for the best criminal defenders in the Washington DC area. Also, he is always included in The Washington Post Magazine’s yearly listing of The Washington DC Area’s Best Lawyers. Jon was the long-time chair of the Criminal Law Committee of the Alexandria Bar Association and is a frequent speaker at Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars. He was selected as a Faculty Member for the Virginia State Bar Professionalism course. Jon handles complex criminal law cases at the trial and appellate levels in the state and federal courts. In 2009, Jon became an adjunct professor at Washington and Lee University College of Law.
