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David W. Mitchell Passes

By Hoge Fenton | 01.2.2019 | Firm Post

With profound sadness, Hoge Fenton announces the death of our longtime colleague and friend, David W. Mitchell. Dave passed away on December 19th at the age of 83 after a battle with lymphoma.

A graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law, Dave joined Hoge Fenton as a shareholder in 1993, the only attorney ever to do so. His practice was dedicated to family business succession, sophisticated estate planning, and nonprofit law. Many businesses and nonprofit organizations came to rely heavily on Dave’s wise counsel over the decades, earning him the affectionate office nickname of ‘consigliere.’ In recent years Dave became Of Counsel to the firm in an (largely unsuccessful) effort to scale back his law practice, allowing him to dedicate more of his time and efforts to philanthropic endeavors – of which there were many.

Dave was a longtime member of the Board of Directors for Peninsula Open Space Trust, providing many years of sophisticated legal advice to the organization. An Eagle Scout, he cared deeply about the POST mission and was committed to protecting open space for future generations. He also was dedicated to the Rotary Club of San Jose, attending a meeting just the week before he passed away, and was a leader in the First Congregational Church of Palo Alto for more than 50 years.

“Give more than you take,” reflected Dan Ballesteros, Hoge Fenton’s Managing Shareholder. “Dave was a brilliant attorney and a caring individual who lived by this credo, and inspired others to do the same. He gave more than he took to everyone he touched. He will be deeply missed.”

The Mitchell family has planned a memorial on January 20th at 2 pm at The First Congregational Church, 1985 Louis Road, Palo Alto, CA. Donations in Dave’s memory be made to Peninsula Open Space Trust https://openspacetrust.org/donate/.

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