About Matthew C.
Matthew C. Shapiro graduated from Florida International University College of Law in 2011 and entered practice that same year. He earned his J.D. amid a period of steady growth in Florida's legal community. The classroom left him equipped for the day-to-day demands of a small firm practice, and he moved quickly into an associate role.
He joined Rice Law Office as an associate in 2011. That role became the foundation of his early legal work. At the firm he took on a mix of responsibilities typical for a young attorney—research, drafting, client meetings and courtroom preparation. Those years also coincided with his first formal ties to the local bar, as he began his membership in the Volusia County Bar Association in 2011.
Shapiro stepped into several advisory roles in the years that followed. In 2013 he served as general counsel to the Daytona Beach Young Professionals Group. The next year he accepted a similar post with the Ormond Beach Neighborhood Improvement Advisory Board. In both positions he worked directly with volunteer leaders, advising on governance, procedural matters and municipal interaction. Those assignments expanded his exposure to local government processes and the practical challenges groups face when legal questions arise.
In 2016 he took on treasurer duties for two organizations. He served as treasurer for the Young Lawyers Division and for the Dunn Blount Chapter of the American Inns of Court. The work required hands-on financial oversight: budgeting, record-keeping and preparing reports for boards accustomed to concise answers. The roles kept him engaged in the local legal community and in the organizational side of practice.
Across his career Shapiro has balanced firm work with community-oriented legal roles. His steady membership in the Volusia County Bar Association since 2011 reflects an ongoing connection to the region's legal network. He has moved between advising nonprofit or municipal boards and handling the everyday cases that come into a small firm.
He currently practices at Rice Law Office and handles a range of legal matters across Florida. His present work centers on client representation out of that firm office, where he continues to combine advisory roles for local groups with private practice matters.
