Catherine C. Engberg
Managing Partner
She/Her/Hers
Joined Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger in:
2002
Primary Practice Areas:
City Attorney & General Counsel Services, Election Law, Local Initiatives & Referendums, Planning & Zoning Law, CEQA Compliance & Litigation, Utility Law (CPUC)
Career Highlights
- Managing Partner of Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP since 2025.
- Town Attorney, Town of Portola Valley.
- Adjunct Lecturer, Land Use Law at Stanford Law School and Berkeley Law.
Community Service, Publications, and Recognitions
- Northern California Super Lawyers, Land Use/Zoning (2019-present).
- Board Member, Bay Nature Institute.
- Former board member, Kensington Municipal Advisory Council.
- Licensed Professional Civil Engineer.
- Presenter, “Mass Casualty Events: What No One Taught You and What You Didn’t Want to Learn,” League of California Cities, City Manager Conference, February 2025 and City Attorney Conference, May 2024.
- Author, “Vacant House Taxes: One Tool to Ease Housing Pressures,” SMW In the Public Interest, October 2022.
- Author, “Black Lives Matter as Government Speech,” Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine, September 2021.
- Presenter, “Black Lives Matter as Government Speech,” League of California Cities, Spring City Attorney Conference, May 2021.
- Author, “Top Ten Tips and Resources for Newly Elected Councilmembers,” SMW In the Public Interest, January 2019.
- Presenter, “CEQA and the People’s Voice: Developer Ballot Measures,” League of California Cities, Spring City Attorney Conference, May 2017.
- Presenter, “CEQA Pros and Cons,” Livable Communities Advisory Team, AARP, November 2016.
- Presenter, “Fracking: Discussion of Legal Issues Facing Local Governments,” Southern California County Counsels’ Association, Fall 2014.
Bar Memberships
Member of the Bar of the State of California.
Education
Stanford University, JD, 2001
Stanford University, BS, Civil Engineering/Environmental and Water Studies
Clerkship: Honorable Barry Ted Moskowitz, United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of California
About Me
My first job out of college was working at a wastewater treatment plant. I love watching baseball (especially when my son is playing) and exploring cities by public transit. I’m working to improve my ballet technique, my hip hop skills, and my tennis game.