Ronald M. Shapiro

Ronald M. Shapiro (born March 29, 1943) is an American attorney and businessman.

Biography
Shapiro was born on March 29, 1943, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Mark and Lillian Shapiro. He grew up in neighboring Cheltenham Township and graduated from Cheltenham High School in 1960. Shapiro then attended Haverford College and graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1967. From 1972 to 1974, Shapiro served as Maryland State Securities Commissioner. In 1972, he founded a Baltimore law firm now known as Shapiro Sher. Subsequently, in 1976, Shapiro founded Shapiro, Robinson & Associates, a sports management firm. In 1995, he founded Shapiro Negotiations Institute, a negotiation seminar and consulting firm. And, in 2017, he created Shapiro Advisors, LLC, a negotiation deal coaching and consulting company. In addition, he is the founder and creator of the Butler Conference of Leaders, which, since 2009, has brought together business and non-profit leaders to address economic, political, cultural, and social issues.

In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him 86th place in its "100 most powerful people in sports" list. Shapiro has represented Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr. and Kirby Puckett. He also represented Minnesota Twins catcher and 2009 AL MVP Joe Mauer.

In October 1998, Shapiro's book, The Power of Nice: How To Negotiate So Everyone Wins- Especially You! was published. The book was excerpted in Fortune Magazine and named one of the "Top 'On the Job' Business Books of the Year" by the Library Journal. Shapiro's second book, Bullies, Tyrants & Impossible People: How To Beat Them Without Joining Them, published in 2005, made The Wall Street Journal's best seller list in its first week of publication. Shapiro's third book, Dare To Prepare: How To Win Before You Begin, published by Crown in January 2008, made the New York Times, Business Week and the Wall Street Journal's best sellers lists, was named the winner in two categories in the National Best Books 2008 Awards by USA Book News, and named Gold medal winner of the Success & Motivation category of the 2009 Axiom Business Book Awards. Shapiro's fourth book, Perfecting Your Pitch: How To Succeed In Business And In Life By Finding Words That Work, was released in November 2013.

Family
Shapiro is the father of Mark Shapiro, the president of the Toronto Blue Jays; Julie Mangini, an Executive Coach and Lawyer who is married to Eric Mangini, former head coach of the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns.

Career
In the 1980's, Shapiro helped settle a symphony orchestra strike. He is one of the recipients of The Daily Record's 2010 Leadership in Law Award. and was named "Sports Law Lawyer of the Year" in the 2012 edition of Baltimore's Best Lawyers.

Shapiro Sher
Shapiro founded Shapiro Sher in 1972. The company has provided services related to business law, litigation insurance and bankruptcy, as well as sports and entertainment law. In 2011, Shapiro Sher was cited as the top mid-size law firm in Maryland for business and transactions by Super Lawyers Business Edition 2011.

Academic and media involvement
Shapiro authored more than 20 law journal articles; co-authored books on corporate and securities law; founded Maryland's major bar review course; and began a legal publishing company. He taught at the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland School of Law, the University of Baltimore School of Law, and spoke in the Harvard Law School Traphagen Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series where he was honored for his "multifaceted and fascinating career." Shapiro was named the 1996 Edward B. Shils Lecturer in Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Shapiro appeared as a negotiations expert on ABC's Good Morning America, CNBC's Power Lunch, Mutual Radio's The Larry King Show, National Public Radio's Morning Edition and Talk of the Nation, ABC's Nightline, and ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning and Up Close. Shapiro hosted a weekly television talk show, Front Page, and Special Edition, a series of prime-time specials, both on NBC Baltimore affiliates. In addition, he appeared as a panelist on Square Off on CBS's Baltimore affiliate.

Community and civic involvement
Shapiro has chaired over 25 boards of charitable and community organizations, including Peace Players International, the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, and the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center Advisory Board, the Johns Hopkins Department of Psychiatry Advisory Board, as well as serving on several others. He was also Treasurer and Finance Chairman for former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke. Shapiro has received special honors and recognition, including American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame Mel Allen Service Award. The Ronald M. Shapiro Research Award and Lecture was established in recognition of Shapiro's service at the Greenebaum Cancer Center of the University of Maryland. In June 2003, Stevenson University awarded Shapiro the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. In 2013, Mr. Shapiro received the American Red Cross of the Chesapeake Region's Lifetime Achievement Award, was inducted into the Baltimore Jewish Hall of Fame, and was named as a member of "The Champions: Pioneers and Innovators in Sports Business" by SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily. In 2018, Shapiro was inducted into the Baltimore Sun's Maryland Business and Civic Hall of Fame.