Katie Sheftic is a member of Smith + Malek’s Natural Resources Practice Team, where she leverages her professional background in the public and private sectors of energy, law, and policy to help clients engage productively and responsibly with Idaho’s natural resources. From transactional matters to litigation, Katie enjoys helping clients navigate the complex legal, tribal, and regulatory landscape, ensuring they can achieve their goals efficiently while doing so in an ethical manner. She has assisted both domestic and international stakeholders with mineral title opinions and quiet title actions for hardrock mineral interests and federal mining claims.
Katie earned her J.D. with a Natural Resources Emphasis from the University of Idaho College of Law and holds a B.A. from the University of Vermont. Before joining Smith + Malek, she worked with a quasi-public energy utility, delivering strategic projects for executive leaders on critical infrastructure cybersecurity, business continuity and resilience, and enterprise risk management. Prior to her time in the energy sector, Katie gained valuable experience working for a mining and natural resources attorney in Alaska, and researching global energy-terrorism for a national think tank.
Katie’s expertise in natural resources law stems from her lifelong passion for land, water, and energy resources in the American West, as well as her strong commitment to defending the rights of others. She has written about western water law for the Idaho Law Review, and organized the 2024 Water Law Symposium in Boise, an event that brought national scholars and attorneys to engage in critical local, state, and federal legal issues surrounding Idaho’s water resources.
Katie has been actively involved in the legal community, and is a member of the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law and Idaho Women in Mining. From 2021 to 2024, she served as the Chief Symposium Editor and Associate Editor of the Idaho Law Review. Katie is also passionate about helping America’s Veterans, whom she enjoys assisting on a pro bono basis.
Outside of her professional work, Katie enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and her German Shorthaired Pointer, Ellie Mae.
Bar/Court Admissions
Idaho
Idaho State Courts
U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho
EDUCATION
J.D., University of Idaho College of Law
B.A., University of Vermont
ACHIEVEMENTS
Idaho Law Review Annual Outstanding Writing Award (2023)
Oral Argument Semi-Finalist, University of Idaho College of Law Annual McNichols Competition (2023)
The Foundation for Natural Resources & Energy Law Scholarship Winner (2023)
U.S. Army Commander’s Award for Civilian Service (2017)
Military Intelligence Golden Rose Award (2017)