Sarah G. Shapiro
Labor and Employment Attorney, Pending Swearing-in
Sarah focuses her practice on labor and employment matters. She helps employers research and analyze workplace laws, prepare and review employment-related documents, and respond to workplace concerns. Sarah also supports attorneys in advising clients on issues that may arise during the employment relationship, including workplace policies, employee discipline, investigations, and disputes. She approaches each matter with careful preparation and a focus on practical, well-supported guidance.
Before joining Ward and Smith full-time, Sarah served as a summer associate with the firm. She also gained experience as a paralegal, supporting litigation matters from discovery through trial preparation, developing case theories, preparing exhibits, and working directly with clients.
- J.D., Wake Forest University School of Law, 2026
- B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2020
- North Carolina, 2026 – Pending Swearing-in
- Where I’d most like to live and why: Wilmington! My fiancé and I both grew up here, and our families are here too. I love the beach and the Wilmington community, and I’m so grateful to be back home.
- My motto is if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
- The best thing about Ward and Smith is the community and the mentorship. I’ve joined a great team of people that I’m excited to work with and learn from.
- One surprising thing people don’t know about me is I learned Russian in college. It’s not incredibly helpful in my day-to-day life, but it makes for a pretty good party trick!
- My favorite character in fiction and why: I’m a big reader so it’s hard to pick just one, but my favorite fictional character is probably Augustus McCrae from Lonesome Dove. Other than the fact that it’s a great Western, I loved that Gus was a people person who made friends wherever he went.