Earle K. Shawe graduated from the University of Virginia in 1934 and proceeded to become one of the first attorneys at the National Labor Relations Board. After serving as the Chief Law Officer for the Board's 5th Region, Shawe stepped down in 1947 to start his own private practice in Baltimore, Maryland. Specializing in Labor and Employment Law, Shawe & Rosenthal rose to prominence after numerous notable cases, including a 1947 filing of the first unfair labor practice charge against a union under the Taft-Hartley Act.

Shawe has given generously to the University of Virginia Law School, establishing the Earle K. Shawe Labor Relations Award, a monetary award is given to the graduating student who shows the greatest promise of becoming a successful practitioner in the field of labor relations, in the early '90s. In 2008, he donated materials from his career at Shawe & Rosenthal as a labor and employment lawyer. This collection was donated to the Law School Archives in 2008. It is organized into four parts: correspondence, professional materials, memoranda and case briefs.

He is recognized as one of the first attorneys in the country to specialize in all areas of labor relations under the National Labor Relations Act, including union avoidance, union elections, collective bargaining, unfair labor practice charges, and union grievance matters. As one of the original attorneys at the National Labor Relations Board, Earle served in several positions, including the Chief Law Officer for the Board’s 5th Region. While at the Board, Earle tried cases throughout the country, often involving issues of first impression.Upon leaving the Board in 1947, Earle founded the Firm that has become Shawe Rosenthal, LLP. From the filing in 1947 of this country’s first unfair labor practice charge against a union under the Taft-Hartley Act, to the present day, Earle has been instrumental in the Firm’s development of a national practice representing management in all areas of labor relations.Earle’s interest in and zealous commitment to his Firm’s clients and the furtherance of management’s interests in employee relations is nationally recognized and explains the roots of Shawe Rosenthal, LLP’s continued growth in the successful representation of employers in significant local and national labor relations matters.Earle's contribution to the development of labor law has not been limited to his activities on behalf of his Firm's clients. He has also written, spoken and testified as to the concerns of management in regard to its relations with employees. He similarly has been active in city, state, and national bar and professional associations. His accomplishments in the field of labor law have been recognized by his election as a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers in 1999.