Honolulu Real Estate & Litigation Law Firm

Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher’s litigation powerhouse has extensive experience, including significant jury and non-jury trial work, in complex commercial litigation encompassing business law, and corporate, contract and accounting issues related to real estate development, corporate ownership and management, the hotel and hospitality industry, environmental matters, construction claims, lender liability, class actions and personal injury matters.

Our respected team of litigation attorneys has trial expertise before State and Federal courts, including the US Supreme Court, and has served as litigation general counsel before courts in foreign jurisdictions.

When clients are faced with complex commercial issues concerning matters in Hawaii and beyond, the firm’s attorneys are amongst a handful of select “go-to” lawyers.

Our Trial Approach

Victory in the legal environment means triumph: economic satisfaction, a win-win agreement, or sometimes, just being proclaimed right.

The importance of the path to victory-strategies, players, and desired outcomes — make the selection of the legal trial team critical for success. The job is to design a road map that considers each twist and turn that may be presented. The experience and intellectual brainpower of the client’s trial attorneys often accounts for the outcome of litigation by crafting each strategic move on the battlefield along the way.

Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher’s litigation attorneys take the fight for every client as if it were their own battle. To be responsible and involved is a hallmark of the law firm, which is built on the power of its people.

The firm’s litigation attorneys are recognized by The Best Lawyers in America®, Chambers and Partners USA Directory of Leading Lawyers for Business, Super Lawyers®, Martindale-Hubbell® and as Benchmark Litigation's Litigation Law Firm of the Year-Hawaii.

Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher is rated AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell’s® highest possible rating, given to us by our legal peers for achieving very high ethical standards and professional ability.

Litigation Attorneys

DIRECTORS

A. Bernard Bays has been named a “Lawyer of the Year” in Honolulu by The Best Lawyers in America® and selected to the “Top 25," Hawaii Super Lawyers® list.  Board Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) and the Supreme Court of Hawaii. Mr. Bays is one of only a handful of Hawaii lawyers who are certified by the NBTA.

Trevor A. Brown has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® in fifteen litigation and transactional categories, named “Lawyer of the Year” in Honolulu multiple times, selected to the “Top 25” Hawaii Super Lawyers® list, in Chambers and Partners USA Leading Lawyers for Business, in Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide and named a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation. Mr. Brown is often called upon to work on client matters that require business and litigation strategy

Douglas S. Chin has been named to The Best Lawyers in America® list, named “Lawyer of the Year” in Honolulu, selected to the Hawaii Super Lawyers® list, is in Chambers and Partners USA Leading Lawyers for Business, named a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation, and is rated AV Preeminent, Martindale-Hubbell’s® highest rating possible, for his skill and integrity.  Mr. Chin focuses his practice on commercial litigation, administrative law and government relations. Mr. Chin served as Hawaii Attorney General, appointed by Governor David Ige.

Kukui Claydon has been selected to The Best Lawyers in America®, Ones to Watch® list, and selected to the Hawaii Super Lawyers®, "Rising Star" list each year since 2018. Ms. Claydon focuses her practice in the area of commercial litigation. Ms. Claydon is admitted to the Hawaii Bar, and earned her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, graduating with honors. 

Andrew J. Lautenbach has been named to The Best Lawyers in America® list, selected to the “Top 25” Hawaii Super Lawyers® list, is in Chambers and Partners USA Leading Lawyers for Business and named a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation. Mr. Lautenbach is rated AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell's® highest rating possible for his skill and integrity, and serves as a Director on the Board of the Hawaii Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

Sharon V. Lovejoy has been selected for inclusion by Benchmark Litigation’s “Top 250 Women in Litigation in the United States”(2011 – 2014) and Pacific Business News’ 2018 “Women Who Mean Business”.  Ms. Lovejoy has been named “Lawyer of the Year” in Honolulu by The Best Lawyers in America® list,  multiple times, selected to the “Top 25” Hawaii Super Lawyers® list, in Chambers and Partners USA Leading Lawyers for Business, named a "Litigation Star" by Benchmark Litigation, is a Senior Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and is a Fellow of the Federal Bar Foundation.

Maile S. Miller  Since 2018, Ms. Miller has been selected to The Best Lawyers in America®, Ones to Watch® list, and the Hawaii Super Lawyers®, “Rising Star” list each year.  She has also been named a “Future Star” by Benchmark Litigation and is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell®. Ms. Miller represents a variety of clients in litigation and pre-litigation matters. Ms. Miller is admitted to the Hawaii Bar, and earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Hawaii, William S. Richardson School of Law. 

Terence J. O’Toole has been named “Lawyer of the Year” in Honolulu by The Best Lawyers in America® list multiple times, selected to the “Top 25,” Hawaii Super Lawyers® list, and named a “Star” by Chambers and Partners USA Directory of Leading Lawyers for Business and "Litigation Star" by Benchmark Litigation.

Judith Ann Pavey has been named “Lawyer of the Year” in Honolulu by The Best Lawyers in America® list multiple times, selected to the “Top 25” Hawaii Super Lawyers® list, in Chambers and Partners USA Leading Lawyers for Business, and a "Litigation Star" by Benchmark Litigation. Ms. Pavey is a member of the American Board of Trial Lawyers, American Association of Justice and the American Inns of Court.  Ms. Pavey practices and is recognized for her work in both commercial and personal injury litigation matters.

Paul H. Sato has been named to The Best Lawyers in America® list.  Mr. Sato is rated AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell’s® highest rating possible, for his skill and integrity. He is a seasoned litigation attorney who has over 45 years of experience and focuses on commercial litigation, real estate law, corporate law and administrative law.

Stephanie E.W. Thompson has been named to The Best Lawyers in America® list, selected to Hawaii Super Lawyers® list, in Chambers and Partners USA Leading Lawyers for Business, and named a “Future Star” by Benchmark Litigation. Ms. Thompson is rated AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell's® highest rating possible for skill and integrity, and served as the 2015 Chairperson of the Litigation Section of the Hawaii State Bar Association.

ASSOCIATES

John W. Kelly has been named to The Best Lawyers in America®, Ones to Watch® list and selected to Hawaii Super Lawyers®, "Rising Star" list. Mr. Kelly is admitted to the New York and Hawaii Bar and earned his Juris Doctor from New York Law School.

Kari K. Noborikawa has been selected to the Hawaii Super Lawyers®, "Rising Star" list.  Ms. Noborikawa earned her Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School graduating with honors. Ms. Norborikawa focuses her practice in the area of commercial litigation and is admitted to the D.C. and Hawaii Bar.

Eric S. Robinson has been named to the Hawaii Super Lawyers®, "Rising Star" list. Mr. Robinson earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Hawaii, William S. Richardson School of Law graduating summa cum laude.  Mr. Robinson focuses his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, administrative law, government relations, and land use, with a particular concentration on Special Management Area (SMA), shoreline, and sea level rise (SLR) issues.

Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher’s real estate and business law attorneys are known for sophisticated case analysis and innovative business solutions for complex matters. Our attorneys have significant experience in real estate development and transactions, hotels, hotel management agreements, corporate finance, international transactions, secured transactions, mergers and acquisitions, construction law and complex commercial matters, in Hawaii, the US and internationally.

The firm’s impressive skill and experience in strategic case planning, ingenious solutions and powerful negotiations in all aspects of complex real estate transactions has opened many doors for domestic and international clients, and have helped many navigate Hawaii's complex land use and permitting laws.

Our Transactional Approach

Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher transactional attorneys have an innate talent for critical thinking through each complex commercial matter. What’s more, they excel in solving the pieces of a puzzle, examining the players, unraveling the details of agreements and handshake deals, to identify the keys that will give the client the clear advantage.

In today’s complex competitive environment, firm transactional attorneys shine when approaching the deal table. Strong, experienced and prepared for endless possible moves and counter moves, firm attorneys drive for exceptional results for every client whether they are a family owned business or an international corporation.

Our transactional attorneys are recognized by The Best Lawyers in America®, Chambers and Partners USA Directory of Leading Lawyers for Business and selected to the Hawaii Super Lawyers® list.

All transactional Directors are rated AV Preeminent®, the highest rating possible given by Martindale-Hubbell®, a distinction given by our legal peers for achieving the highest standards for professional skill, ethics and integrity.

Real Estate Attorneys

DIRECTORS

Trevor A. Brown has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® in fifteen litigation and transactional categories, named “Lawyer of the Year” in Honolulu multiple times, selected to the “Top 25” Hawaii Super Lawyers® list, in Chambers and Partners USA Leading Lawyers for Business, in Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide and named a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation. Mr. Brown is often called upon to work on client matters that require business and litigation strategy

Norman H.Y. Cheng is Managing Director of the firm. Mr.Cheng has been named to The Best Lawyers in America® list, selected to the “Top 25” Hawaii Super Lawyers® list, is in Chambers and Partners USA Directory of Leading Lawyers for Business. Mr. Cheng is rated AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell’s® highest rating possible for his skill and integrity. He practices in the area of real estate law, and participates on many non-profit boards.

Duane R. Fisher is President of the firm and has been named “Lawyer of the Year” in Honolulu by The Best Lawyers in America® list multiple times,  selected to the “Top 25” Hawaii Super Lawyers® list, in Chambers and Partners USA Directory of Leading Lawyers for Business and is recognized for his expertise in real estate, corporate and construction law.

Ivan M. Lui-Kwan has been named “Lawyer of the Year” in Honolulu by The Best Lawyers in America® list multiple times, is in Chambers and Partners USA Directory of Leading Lawyers for Business and selected to the Hawaii Super Lawyers® list. Mr. Lui-Kwan is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell®, is the Ambassador to the US for the Maori King Tuheitia, and National Board Member of The American Judicature Society. 

Kenneth B. Marcus has been named “Lawyer of the Year” in Honolulu by The Best Lawyers in America®, selected to the “Top 25” Hawaii Super Lawyers® list, in Chambers and Partners USA Directory of Leading Lawyers for Business and is a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC). Mr. Marcus has structured numerous successful hotel management agreements and authored the Hawaii State Bar Association Real Estate Manual chapter.

Christina N. Ohira has been named to The Best Lawyers in America® list, selected to the Hawaii Super Lawyers® list and is in Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide.  Ms. Ohira concentrates her practice in the areas of real estate and commercial transactions, and has received Martindale-Hubbell's® highest possible “AV Preeminent®” rating for her legal skill and integrity.

Lindsay E. Ormanhas been named to The Best Lawyers in America® list and The Best Lawyers in America®: Ones to Watch® list, selected to the Hawaii Super LawyersChambers and Partners USA Leading Lawyers for Business, and is rated AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell’s® highest rating possible for her skill and integrity. Ms. Orman focuses her practice in areas of real estate and land use law, business law, and legislative and government relations work. Ms. Orman served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Emily Hewitt in the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington, DC. She is admitted to the Hawaii Bar and earned her Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School, graduating with "High Honors.” 

Sara S.T. Strona has been named toThe Best Lawyers in America®, Ones to Watch® list, selected to the Hawaii Super Lawyers® “Rising Star” list, and is rated AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell’s®  highest rating possible for her skill and integrity. Ms. Strona focuses her practice in the areas of real estate, commercial transactions, and business structure and operations. She is admitted to the Hawaii Bar and earned her Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration from the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law and Shidler College of Business.

ASSOCIATES

Andrew R. Crosby focuses his practice in the areas of real estate law, commercial transactions and corporate law. Mr. Crosby is admitted to the Hawaii Bar.

Lauren K.O. Kagawa has been named to The Best Lawyers in America®, Ones to Watch® list, selected to the Hawaii Super Lawyers® “Rising Star” list. Ms.Kagawa focuses her practice in the areas of real estate and commercial transactions. She earned her Juris Doctor from University of Hawaii, William S. Richardson School of Law, graduating with honors. Ms. Kagawa is admitted to the Hawaii Bar.

Nicole H. Kim has been selected to the Hawaii Super Lawyers® “Rising Star” list and concentrates her practice in the areas of real estate law, commercial transactions and corporate law. Ms. Kim earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Hawaii, William S. Richardson School of Law. During law school, Ms. Kim was Technical Editor of the University of Hawaii Law Review and Staff Editor of the Asian-Pacific Law and Policy Journal.

Cori J. Terayama  has been selected to the Hawaii Super Lawyers® “Rising Star” list and concentrates her practice in the areas of real estate law, commercial transactions and corporate law.  Ms. Terayama is admitted to practice in Hawaii and the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii. Ms. Terayama earned her Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School where she was a member of the Federal Circuit Bar Journal.