Practice Overview

David W. Mitchell has nearly 50 years of experience in tax law, business law, real estate law, and estate planning. He has formed and advised numerous nonprofit organizations and assisted as a tax attorney in substantial charitable giving transactions. Mr. Mitchell’s estate planning and administration practice emphasizes planning for large estates, family wealth and succession planning and complex tax planning (both pre- and post-death). His tax and business practice involves assisting businesses and corporations with mergers and acquisitions, executive compensation, and S corporation and partnership issues. His personal specialty is helping individual trustees implement complicated tax/business and charitable strategies, particularly those involving significant real estate holdings.

Professional Activities

Mr. Mitchell was a member of the Tax Section and the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association and has been an active member of the Tax Section’s Real Estate Committee, Partnership Committee and Estate and Gift Tax Committee. He was named a 2009 “Northern California Super Lawyer,” as chosen by his peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics and San Francisco Magazine.

Mr. Mitchell is very active in Silicon Valley. He has served on the board of Community Foundation Silicon Valley, the board of Peninsula Open Space Trust, and is a Senior Fellow in the American Leadership Forum. He has also served as a board member of the Metropolitan San Jose Chamber of Commerce and, from 1983-85, was Chair of the Board of United Way of Santa Clara County. He is a board member of the Palo Alto Community Fund and of the Stanford Historical Society.

Admissions

Mr. Mitchell is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in California, the United States Supreme Court and the United States Tax Court.