Shapiro is a nationally known speaker on issues of corporate governance and securities law.
Steve Shapiro, the former general counsel and corporate secretary of Cole Taylor Bank, recently joined real estate law firm Pircher, Nichols & Meeks, as a corporate partner. His practice at the Chicago-based office will focus on real estate, corporate governance, securities law, mergers & acquisitions and financings.
At Cole Taylor, the governance guru was responsible for all legal and compliance issues for the bank and its holding company, including TARP compliance, corporate transactions, executive compensation, securities law, corporate governance, litigation, and human resources. On top of that, he supervised a legal staff of 12, directed compliance and community reinvestment, restructured the board of directors, and oversaw all aspects of the board’s matters at both the bank and holding company levels. Shapiro previously held positions as general counsel and corporate secretary for eLoyalty Corporation and First Midwest Bancorp. He was also deputy general counsel and assistant secretary for FMC Corporation and FMC Technologies, according to Picher, Nichols & Meeks.
‘I primarily joined this company to expand their corporate practice,’ Shapiro told Corporate Secretary. ‘I intend to bring my sensibility and firsthand knowledge of the issues confronted by general counsels and other in-house lawyers – the need for practical, direct, cost-effective and timely legal advice and creative legal solutions – to a broad range of private and public companies.’
Last year, Shapiro was named Corporate Secretary Magazine’s Corporate Governance Professional of the Year for Small and Mid-Cap Companies after he orchestrated a range of changes that not only protected Cole Taylor, but also advanced the performance of its board and management. He successfully defended the company in a class action lawsuit and guided a new CEO and CFO through investor relations issues, which greatly improved shareholder communications at the firm. In addition, by reviewing its system and strategy for managing outside counsel, Shapiro significantly reduced Cole Taylor’s legal budget.
