Mr. Shafer was born in 1958 and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. He received a B.A. in political science from Michigan State University in 1981, and graduated with honors from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School with a J.D. in 1984. Mr. Shafer is licensed to practice law both in the State of Michigan and in the State of Arizona, and is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for bo the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, the Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Circuits of the United States Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. In addition, Mr. Shafer has been admitted Pro Hac Vice (by special permission) to practice in various federal and state trial and appellate courts in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.

Mr. Shafer practices primarily in the areas of business and corporate litigation, personal injury defense, constitutional law, and appellate practice. A noted area of concentration in his practice is that of First Amendment (free speech, expression, religion and association rights) litigation. Mr. Shafer is the past National Chairman of the First Amendment Lawyers Association, a national organization of trial lawyers that specialize in the protection of First Amendment rights.

Mr. Shafer's litigation experience has included medical malpractice defense cases, insurance subrogation and coverage questions, asbestos litigation, aviation proceedings, and banking matters. Mr. Shafer has in the past overseen all insurance defense litigation throughout the United States for Fire & Casualty Insurance Co., Ltd., a British chartered insurance carrier, and has been involved in drafting, updating, and revising various insurance policies and endorsements thereto consistent with developing trends in both the insurance and legal fields.

In addition to defense matters, Mr. Shafer has substantial experience in labor law litigation matters, primarily from the employer perspective. This has included both administrative and legal matters, including federal and state wage matters, unemployment compensation matters, and state and federal tax issues. Mr. Shafer ha acted as lead defense counsel in numerous complex labor class action matters, including claims involving the distinction between employees and independent contractors. Mr. Shafer regularly lectures to legal and trade associations on these and other similar legal issues.

A published author, some of Mr. Shafer's writings appear in such prestigious journals as Public Opinion Quarterly, Law & Society Review, The Thomas M. Cooley Law Review, and the Michigan Bar Journal.