melanie shapiro
Melanie Shapiro is an experienced and award-winning lawyer in Massachusetts. She works with clients from all over the U.S. and internationally to help them achieve their goals, including family reunification, safety from harm, and building a life in the United States. It has been an honor for her to develop relationships with her clients, earn their trust, and be a part of their journeys. Her ultimate goal is to see her clients succeed in their lives.
Her firm’s slogan is “holistic, compassionate lawyering,” and she looks to help her clients with not just their cases, but any other issues that might arise. While her practice primarily focuses on immigration law, she considers the whole person, addresses ancillary legal issues, and connects clients with other relevant services. For example, Melanie assists clients with family or criminal law issues, and as a real estate broker, helps them to find new homes. When her clients disclose that they are in a domestic violence situation, she is the first to bring them to the police and assist them in obtaining restraining orders and coordinating support services such as mental health treatment and information about housing, domestic violence shelters, and counseling.
Melanie’s immigration practice focuses on removal defense, asylum, family petitions, naturalization, special immigration juvenile status, VAWA, U & T visas, appeals, and federal litigation. Melanie enjoys untangling complicated cases and works creatively to offer solutions to her clients. She is an experienced litigator in the U.S. Federal District Courts and the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals. She never shies away from difficult cases or from taking whatever actions are necessary to fight for her clients, including federal lawsuits and appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals and the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal.
She is also experienced in criminal law and understands, from both perspectives, the relationship between criminal and immigration law. For her criminal defendants, she leverages her immigration law knowledge to protect them from immigration repercussions when considering strategies in criminal courts, such as plea deals, probation terms, and charge amendments. From the immigration perspective, Melanie has won appeals regarding how Immigration Judges interpret criminal charges, notably what documents judges are permitted to review, and eligibility for certain visas.
Melanie is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Roger Williams University School of Law, where she teaches courses on representing survivors of domestic violence, federal litigation and appeals, and starting a law practice, and supervises the Immigration Clinic at Boston College Law during the summers.
She enjoys giving back to the community through teaching, mentoring students and new lawyers, and interns throughout the year, as well as hosting workshops and training sessions. She has published several papers and articles on immigration and human rights issues. During the summer, she welcomes a robust group of interns from the high school to the law school level. She has been a mentor and partner with the Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice, The Education Cooperative, and several law schools.
Melanie graduated from Roger Williams University School of Law, where she was a Public Interest Scholar and received recognition for her work in the immigration clinic. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Women’s Studies with a focus on human rights and foreign policy from the University of Rhode Island, where she was a member of the Honors Program, and graduated summa cum laude.
Melanie has been licensed to practice law since 2012. She is admitted in Massachusetts, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the Federal District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and the United States Courts of Appeals for the First and Fifth Circuits.
She is the co-chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s (AILA) New England Litigation Committee, a former Board member of the Dedham Art Association, and a founding member of AILA New England’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. In 2009, she founded Citizens Against Trafficking to combat human trafficking.
She regularly speaks on immigration issues through her bar association, in the community, in the media, and on social media platforms.
Melanie loves meeting new people and learning about different cultures. She is proud to represent clients from 100 countries, and counting. She is fluent in Spanish and enjoys being able to connect directly with her Spanish-speaking clients in their native language. She is also learning Portuguese. While Melanie was born in the United States, her mother’s family came from Italy, and her father’s from Eastern Europe. She currently has family in Italy, El Salvador, Spain, and Serbia.
Outside of the office, Melanie enjoys spending time with her partner and daughter, painting, hiking with her dog, horseback riding, playing music, and doing anything outdoors.
As an artist, she is inspired by her clients. You can see many of her pieces throughout the office and on her website. https://www.
Awards:
- 2018-2025– Rising Star, Super Lawyers
- 2015– Pro Bono Star,American Immigration Lawyers Association
- 2009- Mother Jones Award
- 2009- Academic Excellence Award
Selected Speaking Engagements:
2025- American Immigration Lawyers Association New England Chapter Roundtable: “K-E-Y-G- and the Future of Gender-Based Asylum Claims.”
2025- American Immigration Lawyers Association Missouri/Kansas Chapter “Ethics, DEI, Elimination of Bias, and Issues Impacting the LGBTQ+ Community.”
2024- Boston College Law School, “Careers in Immigration Law.”
2024- Social Law Library, “Immigration Law for Criminal Defense Lawyers.”
2023- American Immigration Lawyers Association New England Conference, “All Things Humanitarian: Nuggets and Pitfalls in Asylum, VAWA, T, and U Visa Relief.”
2022- American Immigration Lawyers Association New England Chapter Roundtable: “Humanitarian Parole.”
2022- American Immigration Lawyers Association New England Chapter, “Alternative Forms of Relief Including T, U, and VAWA.”
2020- Roger Williams University School of Law: “Immigration Practice in the Time of COVID-19.”
2020- Essex County Commission on the Status of Women, “Tapping Legal Resources for Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence.”
2020- Ugandan North America Association, “Immigration.”
2020- John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Guest Lecturer.
2020- Boston Bar Association, “Best Practices and Avoiding Pitfalls at the Boston Asylum Office.”
2020- American Immigration Lawyers Association, New England Conference, “Public Charge Roundtable.”
2019- Rhode Island Bar Association, “U Visas.”
Selected Publications:
Shapiro, Melanie (2024) “Humanitarian Parole to the United States: The Case of a Gay Man Fleeing Afghanistan,” Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence: Vol. 9: Iss. 2, Article 5. https://doi.org/10.23860/
Lachapelle, Lily; Schneider, Clare; Shapiro, Melanie; and Hughes, Donna M. (2019) “Does the Decriminalization of Prostitution Reduce Rape and Sexually Transmitted Disease? A Review of Cunningham and Shah Findings,” Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence: Vol. 4: Iss. 3, Article 6. https://doi.org/10.23860/
Melanie Shapiro, Esq. and Donna M. Hughes, Ph.D., Decriminalized Prostitution: Impunity for Violence and Exploitation, 52 Wake Forest L. Rev. 533 (2017). https://dignityforall.info/wp-
Melanie Shapiro, Navigating One-Parent SIJS Cases, VOICE, at 19 (2015). https://www.academia.edu/
Donna M. Hughes and Melanie Shapiro, Challenges for Investigating Sex king: The Role of Decriminalized Prostitution, 7th Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking University of Nebraska (2015) https://www.academia.edu/
Donna M. Hughes and Melanie Shapiro, Editorial, Impunity for sex trafficking in R.I. Providence J., Nov. 1, 2013. https://www.academia.
Donna M. Hughes and Melanie Shapiro, BDSM: A Case of Human Trafficking, Citizens Against Trafficking Bull., Apr. 6, 2010. https://www.academia.
Melanie Shapiro and Donna M. Hughes, A Case of Human Trafficking, Citizens Against Trafficking Bull., Sept. 12, 2009. https://www.academia.edu/
Media Coverage
WPRI Channel 12, DOJ Won’t Say What RI Needs to Change to Get Off Sanctuary Jurisdiction List (Aug. 6, 2025)
https://www.wpri.com/news/
WPRI Channel 12, Immigration Expert Concerned After Masked Officer Doesn’t Identify Himself (May 14, 2025)
https://www.wpri.com/news/
WPRI Channel 12, Immigration attorney weighs in on new executive orders (Jan. 24, 2025)
https://www.wpri.com/news/
WPRI, Target 12, Healey: Massachusetts will reach migrant limit by Thursday, (Nov. 8, 2023) https://www.wpri.com/target-
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Top Women of Law 2022 (Nov. 16, 2022) https://masslawyersweekly.com/
WPRI Channel 12, Local lawyer helps Afghan refugees, (Sept. 20, 2021) https://www.wpri.com/video/
Cramer, Maria, Federal judge denies gay Ugandan woman’s plea for release, stay of removal, Boston Globe (Jul. 20, 2018) available at https://www.bostonglobe.com/
David Enrique Rivera, Criminal Law Consultant
David Enrique Rivera is a dedicated criminal defense attorney with over 12 years of experience representing clients throughout Massachusetts. Fluent in both English and Spanish, Attorney Rivera is committed to providing clear communication and strong advocacy for a diverse range of clients.
Born in Puerto Rico, Attorney Rivera earned his undergraduate degree from Williams College before obtaining his Juris Doctor from Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law. He now practices criminal defense with an office located in Worcester.
Attorney Rivera has extensive experience handling all stages of criminal proceedings, including jury trials, bench trials, motions to suppress evidence, and motions to dismiss charges. He is known for his thorough preparation, strategic advocacy, and commitment to protecting his clients’ rights both inside and outside the courtroom. He practices in the Massachusetts District and Superior Courts.
Samia Chandraker, Employment Based Immigration Consultant
Samia Chandraker is our endorsed employment-based immigration expert we refer our clients to. She has over 20 years of experience in US immigration law as well as experience overseas in UK immigration law. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Massachusetts Bar, Law Society of England & Wales (renewal pending), the South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston, and alumni member of the United Nations Leadership Academy.
She has specialized experience in healthcare immigration issues involving hospitals, physicians, nurses and scientists, and has provided assistance to the Massachusetts Medical Society’s International Medical Graduates Section with presentations and publications. She also specializes in immigration assistance for elite level athletes, coaches, and artists.
She is currently Law Student Liaison for the American Immigration Lawyers Association New England Chapter, engaging with the academic community in the region. She also volunteers for the Boston Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement, providing advice to residents in Massachusetts.
Samia enjoys creative writing and is currently involved in a number of projects about immigration, including a novel, personal essays, short stories, and a non-fiction book proposal.
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