About Lisa Maria
Lisa Maria Shapson studied business before turning to law. She completed undergraduate work at Bucknell University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and later received her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law in 2000. Those years set the groundwork for a practice centered on family law and courtroom procedure.
Shapson began her legal career soon after law school. Her earliest listed position was at Raffaele & Puppio, LLP in 2000. A year later she joined Stark & Stark, P.C., where she handled family law matters and developed trial and negotiation skills. In 2007 she moved to Berner Klaw & Watson, LLP and spent many years there refining her practice in divorce, support and equitable distribution cases. In 2022 she became a partner at BKW Family Law LLC, an office where she now carries primary case responsibilities and mentorship duties.
Her practice extends beyond private representation. She serves as an arbitrator for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, a role that puts her on panels resolving complex family disputes outside the traditional trial track. She is active in several professional organizations tied to family law and court practice. Within the Philadelphia Bar Association she is co-chair of the Equitable Distribution Committee and co-chairs the Mentoring Committee in the Family Law Section. She holds leadership roles in The Nicholas Cipriani American Inn of Court, including service on its executive committee and as co-chair of the programming committee. She also maintains memberships in the New Jersey State Bar Association Family Law Section, the American Bar Association Family Law Section, the Bucks County Bar Association and The Thomas S. Forkin Family Law American Inn of Court.
Shapson’s community service runs alongside her legal work. She serves as president of the St. Mary Interparochial School Home & School Association and is secretary for the Board of Parents Anonymous of New Jersey. These positions reflect an interest in practical supports for families and children that complements her courtroom practice.
Across more than two decades in practice, she has built experience handling divorce, child custody, support and the equitable distribution of assets, as well as arbitration and court-based dispute resolution. Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, she balances casework with committee leadership and community roles. Her current practice concentrates on family law matters and arbitration.
