Jay Shapiro Partner

Jay Shapiro has almost 40 years experience as a litigator. A prosecutor for two decades who focused on white collar crimes, Jay now represents clients in complex civil litigation and investigations, including corporate internal investigations, and criminal and regulatory enforcement; In addition, Jay is a certified Level 2 ATIXA Civil Rights Investigator. He also represents insurance companies in their affirmative efforts to combat insurance fraud. Jay has represented broker-dealers and financial professionals in FINRA arbitrations and has represented financial services businesses in connection with government inquiries.

Jay began his legal career in the Bronx County District Attorney's Office as a prosecutor for eight years and later spent 12 years with the King's County District Attorney's Office, becoming the Deputy District Attorney in charge of the Rackets Division, before going into private practice.

As a prosecutor, Jay was one of the first participants in the federal Electronic Crimes Task Force, which launched some of the earliest investigations into cybercrimes. He now advises clients on the investigation of data breaches, computer trespass and best policies concerning employee utilization of  personal electronic devices for business purposes.

Jay has tried more than 35 cases in state and federal courts in New York and has also appeared before courts in California, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington. He has represented clients in relation to investigations conducted by federal and state authorities, including the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, state prosecutors and numerous city and state regulatory agencies. In addition, Jay has represented insurance companies in coverage disputes in numerous state and federal courts and has also represented attorneys, law firms and insurance professionals in professional liability actions.

He has been recognized for his involvement in combating insurance fraud by the insurance industry and regulators, the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry of America for his anti-counterfeiting efforts, and the New York City Police and Fire Departments for his work with those agencies.

Jay has written and co-authored numerous publications, including treatises on trial practice and search and seizure. A frequent lecturer, he was an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York Law School (1989 to 2004) and served as a Faculty Member of the New York Prosecutors Training Institute, the New York City Police Department’s Criminal Investigators’ Course and the New York City Fire Marshal’s Training Program.

Jay is a member of the Executive Committee of the Criminal Justice Section of the New York State Bar Association and co-chair of the Committee on Expungement.

Representative Matters

• Represented the CEO of a major corporation in response to a joint SEC and DOJ investigation concerning expense-related allegations
• Represented a public corporation in inquiries involving Medicaid billing and allegations of fraud
• Conducted an internal investigation for a public corporation concerning conflict of interest by one of its senior executives
• Successfully defended a national broker-dealer against a multi-million dollar FINRA arbitration claim
• Represented an insurance company in litigation that recovered in excess of $1 million in fraudulent payments 

Recognition & Involvement

Jay was the first recipient of the New York State Insurance Department's Bureau of Fraud Investigation Director's Award and has been selected for inclusion in ”Super Lawyers” in the New York Metro Region in a survey of his peers for 2013 through 2018. Jay was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2021 list in the practice area of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. 

Additionally, Jay is a former school board member of the Chappaqua Central School District, having served a term as Board President; board member of the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund; former commissioner of the American Youth Soccer Organization - Chappaqua, NY Chapter; and former member of the Affordable Housing Committee in New Castle, New York.