René Alejandro Ortega
Partner
He/Him/His
Joined Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger in:
2022
Primary Practice Areas:
City Attorney & General Counsel Services, Housing, Land Use Planning & Zoning, Public Works Labor Compliance, Litigation & Appeals
Career Highlights
- Served as Chief Deputy City Attorney for City of San José; member of leadership team in City Attorney’s Office; advised Housing, Planning (Historic Preservation), Parks, Public Works (Labor Compliance), Environmental Services, Real Estate/Economic Development, Airport (SJC), Police, and Transportation Departments.
- Served as Planning Commissioner for the City of Redwood City.
- Former land use counsel for a Northeast Ivy League educational institution.
- Former environmental counsel for various regulated entities.
- Appellate litigation experience in state and federal courts.
Community Service, Publications, and Recognitions
- Connecticut Super Lawyer in Environmental Law, Land Use/Zoning, Appellate.
- Co-author, “Injunctive Relief Under the Connecticut Environmental Protection Act,” Connecticut Lawyer, April 2013.
- Co-author, “Federal Preemption in the Environmental Law Context,” Connecticut Lawyer, January 2012.
- Co-author, “Federal District Courts Begin to Apply the Lessons of Burlington but Questions Remain Unanswered,” Connecticut Lawyer, November 2009.
- Co-author, “Supreme Court Confirms Decades-Old Purpose of Pillar of Environmental Law,” Connecticut Lawyer, February 2008.
- Co-author, “Application of Daubert in Environmental Cost Recovery and Toxic Tort Cases,” ABA Environmental Litigation and Toxic Torts Committee Newsletter, Winter 2007/2008.
- Co-author, “A Split in the Circuits Will Force the Supreme Court to Decide Whether PRPs Have Additional Remedies Under CERCLA,” Environmental Commentary, Andrews Litigation Reporter, Vol. 27, Issue 12, January 10, 2007.
- Co-author, “Obstacles Exist to Grid Upgrading,” The National Law Journal, March 15, 2004.
Bar Memberships
Member, States of California, Connecticut, and New York; Second Circuit Court of Appeals; Various Federal District Courts.
Education
Boston College Law School, JD, 2003
University of California, Santa Cruz, BA, 1996
About Me
I love planning day trips with my wife and son to explore all the Bay Area (and beyond) has to offer.