Judy Shapiro
Attorney, Indian Tribal Affairs
Judy Shapiro graduated Kirkland College in 1974 with a concentration in Anthropology (along with substantial course work in Biology and Philosophy). After one year's employment as a lab assistant in a biochemistry lab, she attended an Early Music Performance Program at Sarah Lawrence College, receiving the degree of Master of Fine Arts in performance of Renaissance Wind and Stringed instruments. She spent the next few years teaching and performing early music in and around New York City, and had a number of day jobs.
Judy's current career is in the law. She holds a JD from Georgetown University Law Center (Magna Cum Laude, 1983), and served a two year judicial clerkship with the Honorable Richard Owen in the Southern District of New York (Judge Owen also composes opera). Judy has worked at two law firms in Washington D.C.: one very large (Arnold & Porter), and the other significantly smaller (Hobbs, Straus). Although trained in general litigation, she pursued a specialty in federal Indian law, focusing on the representation of Indian tribes in addressing a broad range of issues. She is nationally recognized as expert in areas of federal recognition and Indian gaming, and dedicates substantial time to preservation of cultural resources and tribal sovereignty. In 2003, she left law firm practice to establish her own office, continuing to work wholly on Indian affairs. Email: jshapirolaw@earthlink.net
