New Year’s Greetings from Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger

As we look ahead to 2026, we’re feeling grateful for all the wonderful clients and colleagues we worked with last year and the opportunities we had to do good work and support good causes. The firm made charitable contributions to numerous organizations this year whose work inspires us. Please scroll down to see the full list of organizations we supported.

This past year our firm worked with both new and long-term clients to advance environmental justice, safeguard public health, comply with state housing mandates, promote clean energy, protect Tribal resources, and conserve iconic natural areas, among many other issues; hosted or spoke at several professional conferences to learn and to share our ideas and expertise; and spent time building community and meaningful connections with our colleagues here at Shute, Mihaly  & Weinberger. Earlier this month, we welcomed three new partners: Caitlin Brown, Vaneeta Chintamaneni, and Aaron Stanton.

Next month, after more than 40 years in Hayes Valley, we’re moving downtown. Starting February 9, you can find us at 550 California St., Suite 1200, San Francisco, CA 94104.

Firm members at the January 2025 Planning and Conservation League conference. L to R: Perl Perlmutter, Richard Taylor, René Alejandro Ortega, Caleb Hersh, Rachel Hooper, Seph Petta, Matthew McKerley.

East Bay Hikers enjoying a sunset at Tilden Park. L to R: Perl Perlmutter, Jenna Archer, Yeji Jung, Winter King, Kevin Bundy.

Winter King, Ryan Gallagher, and Aaron Stanton with Mono Lake Committee clients at the top of the LA Aqueduct.

Tahoe champion and SMW co-founder Clem Shute received the Dianne Feinstein Award in August. L to R: Keep Tahoe Blue CEO Dr. Darcie Goodman Collins, TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan, E. Clement “Clem” Shute Jr., and Placer County Supervisor and TRPA Governing Board member Cindy Gustafson. Credit: Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

SMW attorneys at the annual League of California Cities City Attorney Conference. Seph moderated a panel titled “Politically Astute but Not Political.” L to R: Caleb Hersh, Deborah Miller, Catherine Engberg, Laura Beaton, Osa Wolff, Marlene Dehlinger, Seph Petta.

SMW summer canoe trip.

 

Here is the full list of organizations that received financial support from the firm in 2025, focused mainly on pro-democracy work, immigration services, and local food banks. If you are in a position to give this year, please consider these groups as you make your charitable donations.

Pro-Democracy:

• California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice
• California Environmental Voters
• Chicanos Por La Causa
• Civic Influences, Inc.
• Front and Centered
• Native American Rights Fund
• Power California
• Promote the Vote Fund, Inc.
• Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)
• Rock the Vote
• Spread the Vote
• Teach Democracy
• The Ring of Democracy Inc.
• When We All Vote

Immigration Services:

• African Advocacy Network
• Asian Law Caucus
• Asian/Pacific Islander Legal Outreach
• Central American Resource Center
• Immigration Center for Women and Children
• Kids in Need of Defense
• La Raza Centro Legal – San Francisco
• La Raza Community Resource Center
• Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and the San Francisco Bay Area
• Legal Services for Children Inc.
• Mission Action
• Pangea Legal Services

Other Organizations:

• California Rural Legal Assistance
• Legal Aid At Work
• Sierra Nevada Alliance
• The Lake Merritt Institute

Bay Area Food Banks:

• Alameda County Community Food Bank
• Collective Impact/Food Box
• Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties
• Samaritan House (serving San Mateo County)
• San Francisco-Marin County Food Bank

Event Sponsorships:

• Bay Nature Institute, Local Hero Awards
• California Association of Recreation & Park District, Conference
• California Council of Land Trusts (CCLT), Spring Summit
• California Lawyers Association/State Bar of California, Environmental Law Section, Yosemite Environmental Law Conference
• Green Foothills, Nature’s Inspiration
• Greenbelt Alliance, Hidden Heroes
• League of California Cities, Spring Conference
• Mountain Area Preservation, Wild/Scenic Film Festival
• PCL Foundation, 2025 Conference
• San Francisco Baykeeper, 2025 Clean Bay Challenge
• Sierra Foothill Conservancy, Annual Fundraising Dinner
• State Bar of California/Bar Association of San Francisco Justice & Diversity Center, 2025 Annual Gala
• Sustainable Economies Law Center, annual event.
• Together Bay Area, Spring Summit

Top photo: The SMW team at Alemany Farms volunteer day in June