Alexandra Shapiro represents individuals and institutions in appeals, criminal and regulatory matters, and complex civil litigation. Alexandra is an experienced trial lawyer and has also argued numerous appeals in federal and state appellate courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States. She regularly argues in the Second Circuit on appeals involving a broad range of subjects, including securities law, public corruption, tax fraud, constitutional law, federal election law, intellectual property, and the defense of lawyers and law firms.
Alexandra has won appellate reversals of criminal convictions in a number of notable white collar prosecutions. These victories include three Second Circuit rulings granting judgments of acquittal for clients convicted of insider trading or tax shelter fraud in the Southern District of New York, as well as multiple decisions granting new trials for other clients.
A particular focus of Alexandra’s practice has been the defense of criminal insider trading cases. Alexandra argued Salman v. United States, the first insider trading case heard by the Supreme Court in 20 years. Alexandra also successfully challenged the government’s legal theories in several insider trading cases in which the charges were dismissed by the district court or reversed on appeal, and currently represents defendants in several high-profile insider trading appeals.
Alexandra has also conducted internal investigations on behalf of corporations, corporate boards, and Audit Committees and has assisted clients in developing and implementing regulatory compliance programs. She served as President of the New York Council of Defense Lawyers, a not-for-profit professional association of over 250 experienced lawyers whose principal area of practice is the defense of criminal cases, particularly in the federal courts in New York.
Prior to co-founding Shapiro Arato Bach LLP in 2009, Alexandra was a partner of Latham & Watkins LLP, and before that, an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where she also served as Deputy Chief Appellate Attorney. In addition, she served as an attorney-adviser in the Office of Legal Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Alexandra clerked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during her first year on the Supreme Court and clerked for Judge Stephen F. Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.