News | By practice area

Tuesday 25th June 2002

Leading mediator David Shapiro of SJ Berwin has been asked by Kenneth R Feinberg, Director of the US September 11th Victims Compensation Fund, to assist the survivors of 82 UK citizens killed on September 11th in making claims against the Fund. David's long and distinguished career on both sides of the Atlantic includes an unrivalled knowledge of the US claims process, which may be of practical assistance to the UK survivors. The announcement came during a visit to London by Mr Feinberg for a meeting with the UK families and survivors held on 22 June.

Survivors who need assistance in filling out the claim forms should contact Michael Wallace or David Shapiro at 020 7533 2222 or write to them at SJ Berwin, 222 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8XF.

SJ Berwin is performing these services without charge as part of its pro bono commitment to the public.

SJ Berwin Senior Partner David Harrel comments "The terrible tragedy of September 11th has in some way or another touched everyone but none more so than those who lost the lives of relatives and friends. We welcome this opportunity to employ the firm's legal experience and to help at a practical level".

• SJ Berwin is a full-service international legal practice with more than 470 lawyers across its offices in Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Munich and Paris. Main areas of practice include corporate finance, litigation and dispute resolution, tax, property, commercial and EU & competition law.
• David Shapiro is a Consultant to SJ Berwin, and is qualified both as a US Attorney and an English Solicitor Advocate. A specialist in complex, environmental and multi-party disputes, he is recognised as the most experienced commercial mediator now practising in the UK and Europe. A mediator for more than twenty years, he has resolved sucessfully major disputes in the US, the UK and in continental Europe, and moved to London after building a thriving legal practice in Washington.
• David is accredited as a mediator by CEDR (Britain's Centre for Dispute Resolution); an honorary member of the ADR Group; a founder-member of The Panel of Independent Mediators; a member of the Panel of Distinguished Mediators, CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution (New York); a Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators and he is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He was formerly Director and Chief Mediator of JAMS Endispute Europe and is currently Visiting Professor of Law, Nottingham Law School and Visiting Fellow, Department of Law, London School of Economics and Political Science, where he teaches dispute resolution. He was organiser of and lead-off speaker on "Introduction to ADR", part of the Judicial Studies Board's Stage 1 seminars for UK judges, and is a lecturer and writer on ADR issues.