About Shapiro Zwanetz & Associates

Rarely in life do you come upon partnerships that truly complement each other’s strengths and change the way legal representation is done in the way Jason Shapiro and David Zwanetz have.

Shapiro, Zwanetz & Associates (SZA) (formerly Shapiro & Mack) was originally formed in January, 2005, when partners in a 50-plus member Maryland law firm decided to start their own boutique litigation firm so that they could provide better service to their clients.

Jason Shapiro had been Chief of the Criminal Defense Department of a law firm and served in two different prosecutor offices in the State of Maryland. It was in those prosecutor offices that Jason honed his skills as a litigator and began making the connections that he covets today. He handled a myriad of cases, from disorderly conduct to death penalty murder cases. He has been to, as both student and teacher, an array of trial schools, such as “Jury Trial School,” “DUI/DWI Trials,” “Using Demonstrative and Physical Evidence,” “Persuasive Opening Statements and Closing Arguments” and the like. Jason concluded his career as a prosecutor as an award winning Assistant State’s Attorney in the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office.

In January 2006, the firm was expanded with the addition of David Zwanetz. David is a graduate of Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware where he focused heavily on the areas of Criminal and Constitutional Law. After graduation David completed a brief internship with the Howard County States Attorney’s office before joining the firm. David is an active participant in the Howard County Bar Association, the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorney’s Association, and the National Criminal Defense Attorney’s Association. He is nationally ranked as a “Superior DUI Attorney” and “Top 100 DUI Attorneys in the state of Maryland” by the National Advocacy for DUI Defense, one of “Maryland’s Outstanding Young Lawyers” as listed in Baltimore Magazine, and “Top 10 Attorneys under 40” by the National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys.

In the summer of 2008, Jason and David were both formally recognized by the National College for DUI Defense for their efforts in the defense of citizens accused of driving under the influence and are still recognized to the present time.

Additionally, in 2013 Jason and David have the rarified distinction of together trying and getting dismissed all charges against a client accused of First and Second Degree Murder, and Manslaughter. This case tried jointly by Jason and David, is the only murder case dismissed in its entirety by the Office of the State’s Attorney in this century.

In July 2018, former Howard County Assistant State’s Attorney Justin Lake was brought on to the SZA team. A Penn State and University of Baltimore Law graduate with years of trial experience, handling cases from Driving While Suspended to 1st Degree Murder, he embodies everything that SZA stands for. Justin will be focusing on Criminal Defense and spearheading SZA’s new Estate Planning practice focus.  Justin and the SZA team are excited to not only offer their clients premier representation for all things criminal and personal injury, but to also be able to assist their clients in protecting their hard-earned assets to ensure that their family and loved ones are taken care of.  Justin is a member of the Maryland Bar Association, Howard County Bar Association, and Co-Chair of the Howard County Bar Association Young Lawyer’s section.

The SZA credo is “Service, Service, Service.” Although the firm is located in the heart of Columbia, Maryland, it stands tall among all law firms throughout the entire state. Our firm is dedicated to providing superior legal representation at reasonable fees, in a manner that reflects the highest quality of client service that any attorney can provide. Our attorneys are in court daily, statewide, fighting for the Constitutional and Civil right of our clients. No matter how big or small the case, we treat each and every client as they are our only client.

The firm’s main goal and mission statement is to help each and every client not only attain the best conceivable result available at law, but simultaneously make the process as simple and straightforward as possible. The team recognizes that those necessitating legal counsel often need a friend in court as much as they need zealous representation. The SZA team is happily dedicated to providing that service to each and every client who walks through the door.

Our firm is proud to have received the highest validation for our professional skills and high ethical standards displayed through actions and work product, but even more importantly we are proud to serve our clients and proud that 85% of our business comes from client referrals.