[4] He founded three law firms and had offices in Broward County, Florida; Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo, New York.
[5] In the 1990s, Shapiro became controversial for his self-promotional television commercials[6] in which he promised to obtain large financial settlements for accident victims,[7] referred to himself as "the meanest, nastiest S.O.B.
[9] His ads' visuals frequently included vehicle crashes, falling bodies, Satan, threats of physical violence against defendants, images from the video game Doom, animals and people being hit by trains, and explosions.
[14] Shapiro said the decision to suspend him from practicing in New York was "unfair and unconstitutional" but claimed the ruling would have little effect because he had sold his Rochester office and was now promoting books.
[15] In December, 2004, four additional former clients unsuccessfully sued Shapiro for unspecified damages, alleging he had engaged in misleading advertising and legal malpractice.
[9] Dunkin' Donuts parodied Shapiro in a commercial for its breakfast menu in 2010, with a sound-alike named Bob "The Bulldozer" Phillips.