A Deep Dive into Hawaii’s Largest Law Firms

Key Statistics of Hawaii’s Legal Marketplace

The legal landscape in Hawaii is characterized by a number of unique factors. Geographically isolated from major metropolitan areas in the mainland US, Hawaii’s legal market is largely service-driven, with most firms focusing on providing support to local and state government bodies, the military, and real estate development clients. Despite these limitations, Hawaii is seen as a "gateway" to the Asia-Pacific region, and several global firms maintain a presence in the Islands, with native Hawaiian law firms also catering to this important demographic.
Hawaii’s economy is dependent on tourism and government spending, which in turn provides a sound environment for law firms in both commercial and litigation practices. The state’s economy has enjoyed years of growth, with large-scale development project driving demand for the services of attorneys knowledgeable in state and local laws. High-end residential real estate provides another promising avenue for the local legal industry, as is insurance defense work, as the state is a hotspot for travel and commerce .
The legal marketplace in Hawaii is not immune to the consolidation trends that have strained many other areas of the economy, however. Over the last decade many smaller firms have joined with larger firms in an effort to expand their practice areas and market share. Despite being a largely localized market, even small firms must be innovative in order to capture work outside of their physical location. The judiciary provides relatively quick payment schedules and streamlined court procedures, while bankruptcy filings and foreclosures are stabilizing.
Hawaii is home to a relatively small number of large firms, most of which have extensive practices that touch on both public and private matters, allowing them to serve a diverse clientele. As the capital and largest city in Hawaii, Honolulu is the main hub of legal activity in Hawaii, though the growth of construction has expanded regional activity throughout the state. As a gateway to Asia and entry point for legal representatives from the Pacific Rim, Hawaii offers a unique the structure for attorneys operating in-state.

Largest Law Firms in Hawaii by Overall Size and Specialty

We ranked all of the large Hawaii law firms by number of attorneys in Hawaii. The Thirteen largest Hawaii law firms:

Cades Schutte LLP – 103 attorneys in Hawaii
Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel – 99 attorneys in Hawaii
Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing – 59 attorneys in Hawaii
Carlsmith Ball LLP – 51 attorneys in Hawaii
Binegar Parsons & Feller – 46 attorneys in Hawaii
Matsuoka & Kudo – 40 attorneys in Hawaii
Kobayashi, Sugita, & Goda – 39 attorneys in Hawaii
Watanabe Ing Kawashima & Komeiji – 35 attorneys in Hawaii
Ashford & Wriston – 32 attorneys in Hawaii
Damon Key Leong Kunimoto & Almeanani Flemming – 32 attorneys in Hawaii
Dentons US LLP – 31 attorneys in Hawaii
Bays Lung Rose Holma – 30 attorneys in Hawaii
Collins & Tsukayama – 29 attorneys in Hawaii

When comparing Hawaii law firms by practice specialty we used the size (number of attorneys in Hawaii) to rank the top law firms in Hawaii that routinely handle contested cases (lawsuits for money and civil disputes).

Cades Schutte LLP – Civil litigation, torts and insurance, shareholder derivative actions, real estate and banking litigation, employment litigation, product liability litigation, class actions.
Goodsill Anderson Quinn Stifel – Handles a wide range of litigation in general including construction defect, products liability, franchise and business litigation, includes land use and environment, media and privacy, employment law, legal malpractice / bar defense, false advertisement and trade practices.
Matsuoka & Kudo – Civil litigation, insurance, employment discrimination, contracts, personal injury, product liability, professional malpractice, actions involving Hawaii’s courts (probate), water law.
Ashford & Wriston Lawyers – Insurance litigation, construction, products liability, premises liability, foreclosure, real estate, employment, antitrust, drained of assets claims, business torts, patents, attorneys fees, unfair trade practices.
Collins & Tsukayama – Representation to Defendants Accused of Wrongdoing in civil actions; Representation to Plaintiffs Bringing Lawsuits to have their wrongful conduct remedied; Employment Disputes; Insurance Construction Defect Litigation; Election Contests and Defamation Claims; Tort Suits;
Damon Key Leong Kunimoto & Almeanani Flemming – Real estate; construction; property rights; land use and environmental law; litigation; insurance; intellectual property; government law; banking; commercial transactions; and taxation.

Notable Service and Practice Specialties of Hawaii’s Largest Firms

Leading law firms in Hawaii generally offer a similar full range of services including litigation, corporate law and business law, real estate law, estate planning, banking & finance, taxation and intellectual property. Along with these traditional key areas of practice, most of the biggest law firms in Hawaii have attorneys experienced in emerging areas of law like regulatory compliance, digital media and telecommunications, environmental and land use law, and labor and employment law. The biggest law firms in Hawaii will have strong practice areas concentrated around the following:
Litigation and Commercial Disputes
Hawaii has a long history of litigating lawsuits in state and federal courts. Lawyers experienced in handling commercial and common law suits in a variety if industries and business will find representation. Common types of cases are trademark infringement, environmental issues, land use and zoning disputes, contracts, business torts, trade secrets and corporate shareholder matters.
Corporate and Securities
Biggest law firms in Hawaii are able to provide a full range of corporate and securities services for companies and corporations. Such services include commercial real estate transactions, employment law and more. Clients can expect counsel on commercial contracts, mergers, acquisitions, business structuring and formation.
Real Property and Land Use
Outside of commercial real estate law, the largest law firms in Hawaii have real estate attorneys practicing in other areas, such as: environmental law, water law, land use, zoning, habitat conservation and leases.
Banking and Finance
With a number of large banks in the state, Hawaii banking and finance lawyers advise financial institutions, insurance companies and investment companies in areas such as bank lending. Additional services may include business advising on compliance and litigation related to commercial loans, investment and securities.
Other Keys Services
Hawaii law firms that are highly regarded likely practice in other areas of law like elder law and estate planning, trusts and estate planning, social security disability claims, administrative law, investment and securities, maritime and admiralty and even sports law.

Significant Client Cases and Consulting Achievements

Each of these law firms has dealt with a wide range of cases and have amassed impressive records. They have, through this diversity of cases, achieved echoing success so that today, they are amongst the elite firms to be hired in the state of Hawaii. The following is a small selection of their most prominent historical and current cases, to give an idea of the kind of legal work they undertake. Chadwick, Aoki & Ishikawa LLLC, has a very broad range of corporate enterprises as their clients. One particularly interesting case they took on, was representing a Motel, against a claim from the Grand Wanrath Family Business Trust, which had been accused of fraud relating to the selling of Motel 6, at Hawaii Prince Hotel. Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fischer, have represented Enzis Inc, in a case involving groundwater and hotel operations. Representing a Florida corporation , in a personal injury case, involving a manufacturer and Hawaiian company. The firm was also involved in a joint venture that won a $37.5million settlement, in a lawsuit against the Board of Water Supply, and their client, a cement board, in a whistleblower case. Bays Lung Rose Holma, were involved in a case with Lifetouch National, which involved collecting and burning fossil fuel oil, a significant class action suit. Another successful case involved a complex insurance, law suit, involving the denial of comprehensive general liability coverage and punitive damages. Of course there are many other successful cases, it would not be possible to include them all, due to the word limit. However, the short selection above should suffice in giving an appreciation of the type of law firms the biggest in Hawaii.

Consulting and Choosing the Right Hawaii-Based Firm

Large law firms are often able to provide more resources and experience, and therefore provide more significant benefits to their clients. However, the overall size of a firm is not the greatest indicator of the level of service they can provide to any individual client. While larger firms have the luxury of sharing resources across clients that they represent, in many cases, it is the smaller firms that are best suited to meet the specific needs of small-to-middle market businesses and individuals.
When comparing and selecting among the large firms in Hawaii, one thing that stands out is that most are national firms, that they happen to also have offices in Hawaii. These "national-plus-one" firms have to decide on what their strategy is going to be for the Hawaii office. Are they going to put a lot of effort and resources into this firm as part of the whole, or are they going to treat the Hawaii office like just another satellite that has business as usual and is expected to improve the bottom line?
Here in Hawaii, while we remain committed to working with our large and national firms, there is no question that the preference for most businesses and individuals are smaller firms that are closer to home. These firms understand the local market, have fewer management layers, and are able to be available to respond quickly to immediate legal matters that arise.
Hawaii firms have the small size advantage that the majority of national lawyers do not. There is a certain level of comfort and trust when working with someone locally. There is no need to go to half a dozen of the largest firms in the country to find out that they are too big or too distracted to provide you with the level of service you seek. When you engage a Hawaii law firm on a local matter, you know that they have the expertise, and resources to apply to your matter.
We represent a very diverse clientele of businesses and individuals from all over the world. Unlike many other industries, the local presence and personal relationship with a Hawaii law firm for many of our clients is what sets us apart. We don’t simply practice law; we build relationships and become partners with our clients. We seek to do business in the communities we serve, and as the world gets smaller and smaller, that will only become more important.

Forthcoming Trends Among Hawaii-Based Law Firms

Innovations in technology and an increasingly global marketplace are two forces shaping the future of the legal industry, not just in Hawaii but on a worldwide scale. Law firms in Hawaii have been relatively slow to adopt new technologies but this is changing. For example, virtual law firms, which enable attorneys to work remotely using cloud technology, are now appearing in the islands. Surveys have suggested that cloud computing will be the most dominant IT solution for law firms, but there are still obstacles to adoption. Cost, client demand for data privacy and security concerns, and the general business model of law firms are all factors that have caused cloud computing and related technologies to be used on a smaller scale than is the case in other industries.
The increasing pace of globalization is creating greater demand for attorneys with cross-border transactional, trade and regulatory experience, as well as litigators who can handle cases in multiple jurisdictions . While this demand has yet to reach the level seen in other major international markets, it can be expected as the wealth of the Asia-Pacific region continues to grow. Openings for attorneys who can combine niche skills with broader cross-border expertise will also continue to be in demand. In a post-recession environment, clients are increasingly reluctant to hire contract attorneys and prefer larger teams of regular attorneys.
Another area that is expected to grow in hi-tech industries in Hawaii has been the cannabis industry. While the legality of cannabis varies throughout the 50 states, is illegal under federal law in the United States, Hawaii was among the first states to allow cannabinoids to be used for medical purposes, so it may be a signficant industry for Hawaii lawyers to consider.