Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger

What Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger does

Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP (SMW) is a California-based public interest law firm founded in 1980 by three former members of the state Attorney General's office. The firm provides litigation, regulatory, counseling, and planning legal services to public agencies, non-profit organizations, tribal governments, and community groups across California, with a singular focus on environmental law (including CEQA and NEPA compliance), land use planning, municipal and public agency law, clean energy, tribal law, and appellate litigation. Its interdisciplinary practice integrates more than fifty attorneys with in-house land use planners, a model the firm describes as differentiating its ability to handle complex environmental, land use, and renewable energy matters.

SMW's core "products" are its ten practice areas spanning environmental law, municipal and public agency law, clean energy, local ballot measures, tribal law, litigation and appeals, real estate transactions and eminent domain, housing law, land use planning and zoning, and recycling and waste management. The firm has built an extensive precedent-setting track record, including the unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision in Agins v. Tiburon (1980), Ninth Circuit tribal jurisdiction rulings, and appellate decisions in Kern County CEQA oil-drilling litigation. It is majority women-owned, certified as both a green business and small business enterprise, and has received five or more California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) Awards and top-tier U.S. News & World Report rankings.

The firm operates as a California Limited Liability Partnership with a single office (relocated in February 2026 to 550 California Street in San Francisco's Financial District). Its revenue model is professional services: hourly and project-based legal fees billed directly to clients, supplemented by litigation and transactional work for government, non-profit, and tribal clients. Go-to-market is sales-led via direct engagement and referrals; marketing relies on content (website articles, "In the Public Interest" newsletter), professional publications, conference presentations, and organic social media. No external equity, venture, or PE funding is indicated — growth is organic and partnership-driven.

Name

Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger

Legal name

Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP

Website

https://smwlaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP is a California public interest law firm founded in 1980 that provides environmental, land use, municipal, clean energy, tribal, and appellate legal services to public agencies, non-profits, tribes, and community groups, using an integrated team of more than 50 attorneys and in-house land use planners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Services: The firm provides legal representation services to public agencies, non-profits, tribes, and community groups. Services include litigation, regulatory, counseling, and planning services across environmental, municipal, clean energy, tribal, and appellate law.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP is a public interest law firm providing legal representation to public agencies, non-profits, tribes, and community groups. Services span litigation, regulatory, counseling, and planning across environmental, municipal, clean energy, tribal, and appellate law, delivered by a team of more than fifty attorneys working alongside in-house land use planners.

Product overview

Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP is a public interest law firm providing comprehensive legal services across multiple interconnected practice areas. The firm offers Environmental Law Services covering CEQA, NEPA, climate, and water issues; Municipal & Public Agency Law including city attorney and general counsel functions; Clean Energy Law for renewable energy and transmission projects; Local Ballot Measures for drafting and litigation; Tribal Law for cultural resources and governance; Litigation & Appeals for complex cases; Real Estate Transactions & Eminent Domain; Housing Law Services; Land Use Planning & Zoning; and Recycling & Waste Management. The firm provides integrated legal representation combining attorneys with in-house land use planners to offer comprehensive counsel to public agencies, non-profits, tribes, and community groups. Services include litigation, regulatory work, client counseling, and planning assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved landmark appellate decision establishing conservation easements as valid CEQA mitigation, establishing precedent for protecting farmland, wetlands, wildlife habitat, and other sensitive resources throughout California

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• EarthjusticemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026SMW worked alongside Earthjustice attorneys for more than a decade on CEQA litigation challenging Kern County oil drilling ordinance. Filed companion case on behalf of coalition of environmental justice and conservation groups including Center for Biological Diversity, Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Sierra Club.
• Loyola Law School (Professor Daniel P. Selmi)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Emeritus Daniel P. Selmi served as co-counsel with SMW team on decade-long CEQA litigation in Kern County, resulting in two published appellate decisions establishing precedent for conservation easements as valid CEQA mitigation.
• 842 Law Firms (Amicus Brief Coalition)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMW joined 842 law firms in signing amicus brief challenging President Trump's executive orders targeting Perkins Coie and other law firms. Coalition included over 800 firms supporting lawsuits defending rule of law and constitutional governance.
• Karuk TribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMW Attorneys Sara Clark and Andrew Miller, together with cultural fire practitioner Don Hankins, authored 'Good Fire: Current Barriers to the Expansion of Cultural Burning and Prescribed Fire in California' for the Karuk Tribe. Report has been extensively cited in media and by policymakers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Latham & Watkins: Global full-service law firm with a substantial environmental, land use, and energy regulatory practice. Competes with SMW for high-end environmental and clean energy mandates from corporate clients and developers, though it operates across many other practice areas rather than specializing in public interest/agency work.

Direct peers

• Earthjustice: Non-profit environmental law organization that, like SMW, litigates on behalf of environmental groups and tribes under CEQA and federal environmental statutes. SMW has worked alongside Earthjustice on decade-long Kern County CEQA litigation, confirming direct comparability in practice area, client base, and case types.
• Meyers Nave: California-based public agency law firm serving cities, counties, and special districts across the state. Comparable municipal and public law practice with overlapping CEQA, land use, and litigation capabilities.
• Cox Castle & Nicholson: California-based law firm focused on real estate, land use, environmental, and natural resources law. Comparable in land use planning, zoning, and CEQA expertise, serving many of the same California developers, agencies, and landowner clients.
• Best Best & Krieger: California-based full-service law firm with deep public agency, municipal, water, and environmental law practices. Serves many of the same California cities, special districts, and tribes as SMW, with overlapping CEQA, real estate, and land use capabilities.
• Beveridge & Diamond: National law firm with one of the preeminent environmental law practices in the U.S., founded the same year as SMW (1980). Directly comparable environmental litigation, regulatory, and counseling capabilities, though operating nationally and serving more corporate clients.
• Burke Williams & Sorensen: California-based firm with a strong public agency, municipal, and litigation practice serving cities, school districts, and special districts. Directly comparable Municipal & Public Agency Law practice with significant overlap in CEQA, real estate, and public contracting.
• Richards Watson & Gershon: California-based firm specializing in public agency, municipal, and real estate law. Serves cities, redevelopment successor agencies, and special districts — directly comparable client segments and practice overlap with SMW's Municipal & Public Agency Law practice.
• Lozano Smith: California-based public agency law firm with deep representation of cities, counties, and education clients. Comparable Municipal & Public Agency Law and litigation practice with overlapping CEQA and land use capabilities.
• Adams Broadwell Joseph & Cardozo: California-based law firm focused on environmental, land use, and utility law representing public agencies, tribes, and labor organizations. Closely comparable niche and client overlap with SMW's environmental and municipal practice in California.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SMWLLP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shute-mihaly-&-weinberger-llp
• Instagraminstagram.com/smwllp
• Xx.com/SMWLLP

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger