Gary Shapiro, the Postal Service’s Judicial Officer, will retire Friday, May 31, after more than 33 years with the organization.

“From the beginning of his career as a summer law clerk in 1986, through his most recent position as judicial officer, Gary became an unmatched expert on government contract law and litigation techniques,” Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan wrote in a memo last week.

Shapiro served in the Office of the General Counsel, both at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC, and in the Western Area field office, in a variety of attorney positions concentrating on litigation and contract law.

He has served as a judge since 2008. From 2012-2015, he served as associate Judicial Officer and Vice Chairman of the Postal Service Board of Contract Appeals.

Shapiro was appointed Judicial Officer in 2015. In that capacity, he served as Chairman of the Board of Contract Appeals and as Vice President of the Judicial Officer department.

In his role as Judicial Officer, he has issued final decisions on a wide range of statutory and regulatory matters involving the Postal Service.

Shapiro also served as President of the Boards of Contract Appeals Bar Association and, in 2015, was presented with the association’s Lifetime Service Award.