Honors and Awards:

• "A V" Rated by Martindale-Hubbell legal rating service (the highest rating they have available)., http://www.martindale.com/James-C-Lewis/1744247-lawyer.htm
• Recognized in Virginia Super Lawyers each year since 2006
• Recognized as a member of Best Lawyers in America in 2009.
• Named a "Best Lawyer" in America (2011) for medical malpractice and personal injury law., http://www.bestlawyers.com/lawyers/James_Lewis/default.aspx, 2011

Special Licenses/Certifications:

• Licensed to practice law in North Carolina since 1985.

Pro bono/Community Service:

• Co-Editor of the Greenville-Outer Banks-Rocky Mount Injuryboard Law Blog - http://northeast-nc.injuryboard.com/
• Co-Editor of the Norfolk-Portsmouth-Hampton Injuryboard Law Blog - http://norfolk.injuryboard.com/
• Co-Editor of the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Suffolk Injuryboard Law Blog - http://virginiabeach.injuryboard.com/  

Scholarly Lectures and Writings:

• I am a licensed pilot, so I have a unique perspective when it comes to airplane safety and what to do if you or a loved one is hurt in an airplane accident. Topics covered in this guide include:Why small planes crash, defective parts and manufacturer liability, filing a personal injury claim against the plane owner or manufacturer a defective part, and the importance of hiring a lawyer who understands aviation law, Airplane Accident Safety Guide
• This consumer report discusses some of the most common surgical errors that happen far too often in hospitals across the country. If you, or a family member, is planning to have surgery in the near future, take a moment to review this consumer report., Surgical Errors Report

Verdicts and Settlements:

• We represented the estate of a 56-year-old retired FBI agent (plaintiff's decedent) who reported to his family doctor with a 3-day history of chest pains radiating into his jaw together with intermittent visual disturbance. His family physician claimed that he referred plaintiff's decedent to the emergency room with a provisional diagnosis of impending vascular accident. The emergency room physician diagnosed the plaintiff's decedent has having a sore throat and denied receiving a report from the family physician of an impending vascular accident. The emergency room physician released the plaintiff from the emergency room with an appointment with an ENT doctor and conducted no diagnostic test. Four days later the plaintiff's decedent died at his home of an dissecting aortic aneurysm. The autopsy revealed that the dissection was between 3 and 6 days old. Legal strategy: We immediately retained the chief of cardio-thoracic surgery at Yale Medical School to support his case.  Because of the conflicting testimony of the family practice doctor and the emergency room doctor, a lawsuit was filed against each of them and they were allowed to "point the finger" at each other. Award: Case was tried to a jury in Suffolk Circuit Court who returned a $700,000.00 verdict against the emergency room physician.
• My client was a 61-year-old woman with back pain radiating down her left leg. She went to defendant neurosurgeon who advised her that she needed low back disc surgery. When he performed the surgery, he failed to properly control the surgical instruments and allowed one of them to cut three vessels in the plaintiff's abdomen, causing extensive internal bleeding. A repair of the damaged vessels by a vascular surgeon was attempted but was not successful. My client ultimately lost both her legs. Key legal strategy: Five highly qualified experts were quickly retained to support my client's case. In addition, it was anticipated that the doctor's attorneys would try to blame the vascular surgeon for the poor outcome. For this reason, we retained a vascular surgeon known to be a favorite witness of defense counsel to help support my client's case. Accordingly, when he was contacted by the doctor's attorneys, he could not assist them in the defense of the case. Award: The case was settled before the trial for  1.25 million dollars.   
• What happened? My client was twenty-five years old.  He reported to the emergency room complaining of headaches for the past eight days, nausea, vomiting, neck pain and sensitivity to bright lights.  The emergency room doctor evaluated him, obtained a sample of his spinal fluid and decided that our client was suffering from viral meningitis.  He released our client with a prescription for pain medication. Over the next two days the client’s condition drastically worsened. He returned to the emergency department and was admitted to the hospital.  He was ultimately diagnosed with fungal (cryptococcal) meningitis, a very serious and fatal disease.  This disease resulted in severe neurological injuries to our client who is now permanently disabled. Key Legal Strategy:  Critical to the injured client successfully prosecuting their claim was the fact that they retained my law firm quickly, giving us the amount of time that was needed to analyze the client’s medical records and obtain the services of the necessary expert witnesses in the field of neurology, infectious disease and emergency room medicine. Award: Case settled for $650,000. 
• I secured a $400,000 settlement for a client who had her ureter cut during surgery. My client's OB/GYN performed the procedure laparoscopically thereby avoiding having to make a large abdominal incision. The problem with laparoscopy is that the ability to see the operative field is somewhat limited. The OB/GYN negligently severed our client's ureter during the operation and did not realize he had done so.  As my client got sicker, it was determined that her ureter was injured and numerous surgical procedures were required to correct this injury., 2010
• I attained a $350,000 settlement for a client who had a sponge left inside their body during surgery. At the end of the surgery, the surgeon was supposed to remove all the sponges and the operating room nurses count them to make sure they were removed. This did not happen.My client developed abdominal symptoms after the surgery and was taken back to the hospital.  It was determined that a sponge had been left in his abdomen at the conclusion of his gallbladder surgery. , 2010
• I secured a $2.3 million jury verdict for a child who suffered a serious arm injury during birth. The mid-wife nurse negligently pulled the child during the birth process and caused permanent nerve damage. I fought tirelessly to obtain some semblance of justice for this child since their life would never be the same., 2010

Representative Clients:

• Testimonial from a client who was injured in a motorcycle accident: "I just want to thank you so much for being so caring and compassionate to our needs. We were in a nursing home the week after our motorcycle accident. You flew down to meet us and attended to our needs. You believed in us and made sure that we got the compensation that we deserved! We have a good quality of life and are financially set because of you. You fought for us, and I knew you would not settle for second best. You returned every phone call and answered every question, no matter how dumb it sounded. You acted as a friend, not just an attorney. It felt as if we were your only clients! Thanks again for digging deep in our case challenging ER doctors and Police, and uncovering the coverup! Thanks again for all you have done!! Thanks to the very knowledgeable staff at Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton!"
• Testimonial from a client hurt in an accident: I heard about the law firm from my brother and am so thankful he recommended them to me. I was not expecting to get any compensation from my claim, so the attorneys who handled my case definitely surpassed my expectations! I was also impressed by the responsiveness of the attorneys. They returned my calls promptly and the staff in the office was kind and extremely helpful. If I ever need a personal injury lawyer again, I will call the law firm of Shapiro, Lewis, & Appleton right away.
• This is a testimonial video from a client named Pat who has known Jim for years. Jim was also trusted to represent family members of Pat who were hurt in accidents. To learn more, check out the video.

Other Outstanding Achievements:

• Recognized as one of the "Best Lawyers in America" (2010 Ed.). Received "AV" Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, which means James has a reputation among other lawyers and judges as being highly ethical and of being very high, to pre-eminent, in his legal ability. "Superb" rating on Avvo, a prominent legal rating service.
• Member of Primerus, a prestigious, international society of top-rated law firms. Here is a link to our firm's profile on the Primerus website: http://www.primerus.com/firms/Shapiro_Cooper.htm, 2009
• Adjunct Professor at William and Mary Law School., 2010

Video:

• Ureteral injuries during surgery can cause serious complications and require surgery to correct. This places a tremendous amount of stress and pain on the patient who endured the medical mistake that led to the ureteral injury. To learn more, view this video.
• If a surgeon negligently cuts the bile duct during gallbladder removal surgery, the damage to the patient can be extensive. A bile duct injury takes time to fix and requires another surgery for the patient to endure. To learn more, watch this video.
• Many surgeons use laparascopes (i.e. telescopic rod lense attached to a camera) during abdominal procedures. The downside to using a laparascope is that a surgeon's vision is limited. This can lead to an increased risk of a cut bowel injury and other serious cuts that may cause sepsis, a potentially life-threatening injury. To learn more, check out this video.
• This is a testimonial from a former client and current friend named Pat. I've known Pat for over 20 years and represented him when he suffered a serious personal injury. I've also represented his family members who were hurt in accidents.
• A lot of people talk about "frivolous" lawsuits running rampant in the courts. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it is very difficult to bring a medical malpractice claim, especially in Virginia (VA). For example, an injured victim must obtain a "certificate of merit" from another doctor in the same medical specialty as the doctor who injured you. To learn more, view this video., What It Takes to Bring a Medical Malpractice Claim in Virginia
• I've been helping injured victims for 30 years and as I've matured as a lawyer, I decided to take on more complex cases specifically in the realm of medical malpractice and aviation., Why I Decided to Specialize in Medical Malpractice and Aviation Accidents
• I love being a lawyer and decided to pursue this career path early on in life. When I was in high school, I was a Page in the Virginia State Legislature. Back then, lawmakers were virtually all lawyers. So I came away from that experience thinking that lawyers made government and they seemed to make everything work. I decided to attend George Wythe School of Law at William and Mary and have been practicing law for over 30 years., Why I Became a Lawyer, 2009

Newsletters:

• We publish quaterly newsletters featuring articles on relevant and important issues related to health and safety., Fall 2010 Firm Newsletter

Educational Background:

• I attended the University of Virginia for my bachelor’s degree (where I graduated with distinction), and went on to receive my law degree from the College of William and Mary.