Before David P. Shapiro spent nearly 20 years defending people accused of crimes in San Diego, he spent time in jail himself.
That history was a big part of why Shapiro, founder and managing partner of David P. Shapiro Criminal Defense Attorneys, served as a panelist at the third annual Side by Side Reentry and Workforce Development Conference. More than 300 people gathered for the two-day event at Sycuan Casino Resort in El Cajon — probation leaders, employers, policymakers, nonprofit directors and people who have lived through the justice system themselves, all working on a question that outlasts any verdict: What happens to a person when the case is over, the sentence is served and they come home?
On July 29, Shapiro joined the conference’s policy, advocacy and systems change panel , moderated by Robert Wood. He appeared alongside Charlene Autolino, chair of the San Diego Reentry Roundtable, reentry leader Terrall Tillman and Ronaldo Villeda, chief operating officer of Catalyst Cares. The group worked through the practical machinery of reentry: the legislation, the public funding and the community pressure that decides whether a person leaving the system finds a job and a place to live, or finds a closed door.
“As a defense attorney, my job usually ends when the case does,” Shapiro said. “But for a lot of good people, that is right where the hard part starts. Can they find work? Can they find housing? Can they rebuild their future? The reality is that if we are serious about public safety, we have to be serious about what happens when our incarcerated citizens come home.”
For Shapiro, this is personal. Arrested in 2004 for a crime he has openly acknowledged committing, he went through the same fear and uncertainty he now sees in the people who walk into his office.
He has said the experience drives his work, and for years, it has carried him well beyond the courtroom. He sits on the board of a local recovery program, has spent years volunteering with San Diego reentry and job readiness programs, and just weeks after the conference, he was speaking to apprentices at Rise Up Industries, a San Diego reentry and gang prevention organization.
“I am far more than a criminal defense attorney,” Shapiro wrote in a recent post. “My greatest passion has always been creating an everlasting impact on the San Diego community beyond criminal defense.”
The conference drew national names, including keynote speaker Jeff Henderson, the bestselling author, chef and entrepreneur who rebuilt his life after incarceration, and Reginald Washington, a leading voice in reentry and justice reform. Speakers came from across the country and across the system, from probation chiefs to formerly incarcerated advocates now running their own organizations.
For Shapiro, the connection is straightforward. Defending someone and helping them rebuild are two halves of the same job.
About David P. Shapiro Criminal Defense Attorneys
David P. Shapiro Criminal Defense Attorneys is a San Diego criminal defense firm focused on serious felony matters, including violent crimes, weapons offenses, drug charges and sex offenses. Shapiro has practiced criminal defense in San Diego since 2007 and founded the firm in 2010. He has been named to the San Diego Business Journal’s SD500 list of the region’s most influential people and holds Martindale-Hubbell’s AV Preeminent rating. He also has been recognized as a superlawyer 11 times since 2015.
The firm works from offices in San Diego and El Cajon and serves clients throughout San Diego County. Its approach is reflected in its registered tagline: “We help good people regain control of their future when charged with a crime.”® To learn more or request a case evaluation, visit davidpshapirolaw.com.
