Biglaw

Charges Filed In Murder Of Celebrated Supreme Court Litigator

Authorities have accused the Mayer Brown partner’s brother-in-law of his shooting death.

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John Gately III (Photo via Northfield Police)

Earlier this week, news quickly began to spread about the violent shooting death of Stephen Shapiro, the founder of Mayer Brown’s Supreme Court and appellate practice. Shapiro was shot and killed in his Chicago-area suburban home on Monday night, and after the suspect fled the scene, he was arrested following a brief SWAT standoff at his apartment.

That suspect, John Gately III, 66, was formally charged last night with first-degree murder and attempted homicide. Although police have not yet confirmed the relationship between the two men, they were correct in that this was indeed a domestic-related shooting: Gately is Shapiro’s brother-in-law. According to the report from the Cook County Medical Examiner that classified Shapiro’s death as a homicide, the Supreme Court scholar suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

Stephen M. Shapiro

Shapiro has been remembered by his colleagues as a “one of the greatest advocates of our day,” “a cherished mentor, a dear friend, and a superb lawyer” who “literally wrote the book on Supreme Court advocacy.”

Shapiro is survived by his wife, Joan Gately Shapiro, and daughter, Dorothy Shapiro Lund, a former Sullivan & Cromwell associate who now works as an assistant professor at the USC Gould School of Law. Shapiro’s son-in-law, Oren Lund, recently left the partnership at Kirkland & Ellis to join Massumi + Consoli, a private equity and M&A boutique. He was predeceased in 2015 by his son, Michael Shapiro, a comedian.

Gately is scheduled to appear for a bond hearing today in Skokie, Illinois.

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Charges Filed in Killing of Mayer Brown’s Stephen Shapiro [American Lawyer]
Winnetka man charged with fatally shooting prominent attorney at North Shore home [Chicago Tribune]
Mayer Brown Partner’s Killing Shocks Colleagues, Appellate Bar [American Lawyer]

Earlier: Biglaw Practice Leader Shot And Killed In Domestic Dispute

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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