About Us
Community
At Downey Brand, we are more than the billable hour. We take great pride in contributing to the vibrant communities in which we live and work. From our three offices across California, we proudly support community organizations through sponsorships, donations of in-kind services, and most notably, through participation by our attorneys and professional staff.
Many of our attorneys and professional staff lend their leadership skills and time to nonprofits throughout the region. Their volunteer efforts allow us to continue our longstanding tradition of believing that helping others is a result of both financial assistance and personal involvement. Our attorneys and professional staff have the privilege of serving on a broad range of charitable boards and are active participants, contributors, and supporters to more than 50 community organizations and programs:
- American Leadership Forum
- Animals Friends Connection
- Anthony M. Kennedy American Inn of Court
- Aerospace Museum of California
- Ballet22
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Sacramento Area
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento
- California Grocers Association Educational Foundation
- California ChangeLawyer (formerly California Bar Foundation)
- California Lawyers Association Environmental Fellowship
- California Real Estate for Women
- Capital Pro Bono
- Capital Public Radio
- Capital Region Family Business Center
- Capital Stage
- Center for Land-Based Learning
- Cristo Rey High School
- Crocker Art Museum
- Fairytale Town
- Food Literacy Center
- Foster Youth Education Fund
- Habitat for Humanity
- HomeAid Sacramento
- Junior Achievement of Sacramento
- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
- KVIE Public Television
- Legal Services of Northern California
- McGeorge Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Center
- Mondavi Center for the Arts
- Multiplier Projects
- NatureBridge
- Phoebe’s Fund
- Putah Creek Council
- RedRover
- Roberts Family Development Center
- Rotary Club of Davis
- Rotary Club of Sacramento
- Rotary Club of Sacramento Breakfast
- Runnin’ for Rhett
- Sacramento Ballet
- Sacramento Chinese of Indochina Friendship Association
- Sacramento Court Appointed Special Advocates
- Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services
- Sacramento Loaves & Fishes
- Sacramento Literacy Foundation (formerly Sacramento Public Library Foundation)
- Sacramento Metro Chamber Foundation
- Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
- Sacramento Theatre Company Foundation
- Sacramento Tree Foundation
- Sacramento Zoo
- Shalom School
- Stockton / San Joaquin Emergency Food Bank and Family Services
- Stockton Symphony
- Sutter Davis Hospital Foundation
- Sutter Medical Foundation
- The First Tee of Greater Sacramento
- University of California Davis, Alumni Association
- Valley Vision
- Water Education Foundation
- Women in Environment
- Women’s Empowerment
Community News
Downey Brand Builds Unity in the Community at Women Build 2024
Strong women build strong communities!
This past Saturday, we sponsored and participated in Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento’s annual Women Build, a month-long event in March where over 550 women of all different industries and backgrounds join Habitat for Humanity on the jobsite to make a lasting impact on the lives of families in need by building more accessible housing in the Greater Sacramento and Yolo regions. It was a day well spent with a team of amazing women painting, digging, weeding, and more to build safe, affordable, and equitable neighborhoods where local women and their families have the opportunity to thrive.
Downey Brand Stepped up for Justice at the 2024 LSNC Valentine Run
It was a gorgeous, sunny Saturday morning for the 21st annual Valentine Run, and team Downey Brand laced up their running shoes to support Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC) in providing a voice in the fight for justice, helping thousands of individuals and families keep a roof over their heads, put food on their tables, and access health care.
Run to Feed the Hungry: A Downey Brand Thanksgiving Day Morning Tradition
Team Downey Brand kicked off the holiday season at the 30th annual Run to Feed the Hungry – the largest Thanksgiving Day fun run in the country and the biggest fundraiser for Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. Attorneys and staff got their steps in on Thanksgiving Day morning at the run in East Sacramento, giving back and making a positive impact in their community alongside friends, family, and colleagues.
Downey Brand: Making a Difference at Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services
Downey Brand attorneys and staff, along with friends and family, had a wonderful time volunteering together at Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services (SFBFS) on Thursday, October 5. Volunteering at the Food Bank is a favorite among team members. Collectively, we were able to assemble, fill, and stack 340 boxes of food for the Food Bank’s senior meal program and sort and bag 100 sacks of potatoes and 300 sacks of pears.
Megan Somogyi Elected President of Ballet22’s Board of Directors
Downey Brand is pleased to announce that energy and public utility regulation partner Megan Somogyi has been elected President of Ballet22’s Board of Directors.
Megan begins her term as President after serving on Ballet22’s inaugural Board of Directors since June of last year.
“I am honored that the Board has placed its trust in me. Ballet22 is a remarkable company doing groundbreaking work, and I am so privileged to take part in supporting the dancers, choreographers, and directors who are changing what ‘ballet’ means,” Megan said. “I invite everyone in the San Francisco Bay Area to attend our upcoming show at Z Space in San Francisco, on July 28 and 29—it will be a performance to remember!”
Danielle Stephens Named President of Fairytale Town’s Board of Directors
Downey Brand is pleased to announce that real estate partner Danielle Stephens has been named President of Fairytale Town’s Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2023.
Danielle’s transition to President of the Board of Directors follows a yearlong term when she served as Vice President of the literacy-based children’s park and her eighth year on the Board. Fairytale Town is currently undergoing its first expansion since 1959, and as part of that project, the new “Story Center” was constructed and completed last fall.