Melinda R. Shapiro

Melinda Shapiro is a member of the firm’s Health Care and Litigation Practice Groups, assisting clients with a variety of complex business and commercial litigation. She focuses her health care practice on medical and professional malpractice defense of nursing homes and other healthcare providers as well as representation of healthcare providers in litigation and enforcement proceedings before state and federal courts and before a number of government agencies. Ms. Shapiro also counsels nursing facilities, dialysis clinics, hospitals and other health care providers in developing proactive risk-management approaches.

Ms. Shapiro has formerly served as the Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Indianapolis Office of Corporation Counsel, representing the Department of Public Works, the Department of Capital Asset Management and the Board of Asset Management and Public Works. Additionally, she served as former Legal Counsel for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Representative Experience

• Successfully represented nursing facilities, dialysis clinics, hospitals, physicians and other health care providers in medical malpractice and professional liability litigation.
• Successfully represented institutional and individual health care providers in licensure and certification investigations and administrative proceedings before the Indiana Department of Insurance, Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, and the Medical Fraud Control Unit.
• Provide immediate emergent assistance to clients handling adverse and sentinel events including regulatory surveys and investigations.  Assist with root causes analysis and peer reviews.
• Provide in-service training on a variety of topics including charting, risk management, record management, and preparing for and responding to investigations.

Education

• University of Dayton School of Law, Dayton, Ohio (J.D., 1994)
• Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana (B.A., 1991)

Bar Admissions

• Indiana, 1994

Professional Associations

• Indianapolis Bar Association (Member)
• Indiana Bar Association (Member)
• Hooverwood Nursing Home (Executive Member, Board of Directors)
• Defense Research Institute (Member)
• Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra (Board of Directors, 2002-2006)
• Indianapolis Museum of Art (docent, September, 2002-May, 2006)

Seminars and Presentations

• "Medical Malpractice from A-Z" (National Business Institute, March 26, 2009)
• "Medical Malpractice Litigation" Seminar (Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum, June 21, 2006)
• "Hot Topics in Nursing Home Litigation" (Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum, February 25, 2002)
• "Water Law Update" (Business Law Section of the Indiana Bar Association, 2000)
• "Why Design an Environmental Management System and Conduct Environmental Audits?" (Indiana Onsite Waste Water Professional’s Association, Inc., 1999) 

Publications

• "Long-Term Care Licensure and Related Requirements", Indiana Update, ALFA Health Care Compendium, 2005
• "Evolving Liability Scenarios for Contaminated Property", Indiana Business Magazine, 1999
• "Can Stakeholders Bear the Load?", Indiana Lawyer, 1998