In Memoriam: Marshall Shapo

Marshall S. Shapo of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law has died at age 87. A life member of The American Law Institute, Shapo was elected to ALI in 1977. He served as an Adviser for Restatement of the Law Third, Torts: Products Liability.

Below is an excerpt of his obituary from Northwestern University:

Shapo joined the Law School faculty in 1978 and taught courses on torts and product liability. His areas of expertise also included consumer law, injury compensation, and fraudulent and deceptive practices.

“Marshall was a beloved member of our community, who contributed tremendously during his 50-plus-year academic career, 40 years of which were spent at our Law School,” said Hari M. Osofsky, dean of Northwestern Pritzker Law and the Myra and James Bradwell Professor of Law. “He was a leading expert in torts and product liability whose over 25 books and numerous articles significantly influenced both scholarly and public understandings of those fields.

“His priority, however, was teaching and mentoring generations of lawyers and law scholars, upon whom his impact was extraordinary. Above all, he treasured Helene, with whom he wrote a successful book about preparing for and thriving in law school.”

Shapo was married to Helene Shapo, professor of law emerita at Northwestern. The couple co-wrote “Law School Without Fear: Strategies for Success,” published in 2009.

In 2018, Shapo was named the recipient of the 2018 William L. Prosser Award by the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Torts and Compensation Systems. The Prosser Award recognizes outstanding contributions in scholarship, teaching and service related to tort law.

The Law School and Northwestern University Law Review honored Shapo in 2021 with an online Festschrift recognizing his achievements.