Makaweli Lawyers

Winning is what matters! Brian has 20+ years of litigation experience successfully handling and trying medical malpractice and personal injury cases. He has obtained over $26,000,000.00 for his clients in just the past few years, which earned him a lifetime membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Less than 1% of attorneys are lifetime members of the Forum. He only takes on select cases so that he can personally handle every aspect of that client's important case. Other firms pass clients and cases off to junior attorneys who the client never would have selected. Brian never does that. Brian's dedication...

Stephanie E.W. Thompson is a Director of the firm who concentrates her practice in the areas of commercial and real estate civil litigation. Ms. Thompson has assisted in the representation of various clients from multi-million dollar corporations to small businesses and individual interests in legal matters ranging from wrongful termination and unfair competition, to negligence, commercial litigation, general business and trust disputes.

Ms. Thompson is named to the 2020 Best Lawyers in America© list in the practice area of Real Estate Litigation. She holds an "AV Preeminent"® rating from Martindale-Hubbell® for both her skill and integrity. Ms. Thompson was...

David is one of the nation’s most respected lemon law attorneys. He is an attorney in good standing and has been admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Hawaii. He is the founding attorney of the lemon law firm David J. Gorberg & Associates, P.C. and concentrates his practice in the field of Lemon Law and Breach of Warranty. His firm has represented more than 30,000 clients for lemon law claims against all auto manufacturers throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Hawaii, and has recovered more than 500 million dollars in settlements. The firm maintains lemon...

Peter S.R. Olson is an attorney who handles a wide variety of matters, including: litigation (civil, family, and criminal), transactional, and business formation/advisement in Kona and Kamuela.

He was born and raised in South Kona on the Big Island of Hawai`i. He is the son of John L. Olson, founder of the firm. Peter has assisted his father at the firm since he was five years old.
Peter received his Juris Doctor and Environmental Law Certificate from Univerisity of Hawai`i at Manoa's William S. Richardson School of Law in 2005. After law school, he clerked for the Honorable Glenn...

Judith Ann Pavey has successfully handled personal injury cases in Hawaii since 1977 and continues this important work as Of Counsel at Starn O'Toole Marcus & Fisher. The law firm is ranked by U.S. News-Best Lawyers® since 2010 as "Best Law Firm" in its core business of Real Estate Law and Commercial Litigation, and also Personal Injury Litigation, Medical Malpractice Law and Product Liability Litigation(since 2012), solely based on Ms. Pavey's contribution. Ms. Pavey has been named by The Best Lawyers in America©, as a Lawyer of the Year in Honolulu in the practice areas of Banking & Finance Litigation...

Greg Dunn has over 25 years experience as a bankruptcy attorney having completed over 13,000 bankruptcy cases as well as helping families avoid bankruptcy through other debt relief solutions. Greg has also helped many families save their homes from foreclosure. Greg has stopped creditor harassment and pay garnishments. He is a former Navy JAG attorney who served on the U.S.S. Missouri. Greg is also a Kamehameha Schools graduate born and raised on the Leeward side of the Island of Oahu. Greg has helped local families and members of the military in filing for bankruptcy relief and saving homes...

John L. Olson is an attorney who handles a wide variety of matters from litigation (civil, probate, trust disputes); advising businesses in day to day matters, including contracts and management; transactional work for individuals and business; criminal defense; to Estate Planning in Kona and Kamuela. As a sole practioner he gained a width breadth of knowledge to assist his clients in just about anything. He was born and raised on the Island of O`ahu, and moved to Kona in 1973 with his wife. There, they raised two sons: Robert and Peter Olson, both of whom are...

Mark Davis has been recognized as one of the best trial lawyers in Hawaii and in the United States. Mr. Davis, a graduate of Tulane University and Washington University School of Law, has focused his law practice over the last thirty years representing injured victims in cases involving serious personal injury and medical malpractice. He has achieved record verdicts and settlements in Hawaii for numerous cases over the course of his career.

Amy Lawson Woodward is an associate attorney at the Law Office of William H. Lawson, concentrating her practice in the area of plaintiffs' personal injury litigation. Prior to joining her father's firm in 2016, Ms. Woodward practiced law at Carlsmith Ball LLP (one of the top corporate law firms in Hawaii), focusing predominantly on litigating commercial disputes.

Ms. Woodward is ranked in the "Top 10 Under 40" personal injury attorneys in Hawaii by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys (NAOPIA). She has obtained favorable awards for injured individuals at arbitration and successfully advocated for clients in...

Mark Bridges is a leading authority on military justice and the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). He is recognized as one of the premier criminal law defense attorneys in the military. Mark brings over 30 years of experience as a criminal law defense attorney and prosecutor, military trial judge, and senior legal advisor to his civilian law practice focused exclusively on the defense of military members in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Ganz and Bridges Law Office LLLC, located on the Island of Oahu, Honolulu, Hawaii, provides state of the art representation and criminal defense...

Ron Heller has been practicing law in Hawaii for over 30 years, concentrating on tax litigation, tax law, and business disputes, primarily dealing with accounting and financial issues. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant as well as an attorney. Mr. Heller is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, and a past Chair of the Tax Section of the Hawaii State Bar Association. He has litigated tax cases at the county, state, and federal levels. In addition to tax cases, Ron has represented clients ranging from individual sole proprietors to multi-national corporations in a wide variety...

Ms. Hirota began her law practice in Ohio as an associate with Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a large law firm in Cincinnati. After practicing immigration law in Ohio for two years, Ms. Hirota returned to her family in Hawaii and joined Lynch & Farmer in 1997. She was named a partner of Lynch Ichida Thompson Kim & Hirota in 2002 and left that firm to found Hirota & Associates in 2009. Ms. Hirota’s practice concentrates solely in U.S. Immigration and Nationality law. Ms. Hirota is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, having served on the following...

Mr. Barlow has been selected as one of the Top 10 Personal Injury Lawyers in Hawaii by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys for demonstrating an "extraordinary amount of knowledge, skill, experience, expertise and success in his practice of personal injury." He is admitted to the Hawaii State Bar and also the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii. He is a member of the Board of Governors for the Hawaii Association for Justice and he is a member of the Hawaii State Bar Association. By invitation from Hawaii State...

Stephen has historically represented clients in a wide range of civil, commercial litigation matters. He was born in New Jersey, raised in Wilmington, Delaware, attended university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and went on to obtain his juris doctoris from New York University School of Law in 1995, after which, he remained and practiced in New York for 10 years at such international firms as Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy and Morrison & Foerster. Stephen moved to Hawai‘i in 2005 and joined the firm of Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing, where...

I was raised here on Maui. After graduating from Baldwin High, I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah. Following graduation, I attended Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law. Having grown up on Maui, I have a unique understanding about the island and its people that many Maui attorneys lack. I know what it means to have the “Spirit of Aloha” that makes our island home so special.

My mission is to meet your needs in a way that you understand, eases your mind, and makes you feel empowered in Hawaii’s legal system.

I have zealously...

Roman was formerly a partner at a large Honolulu law firm and has extensive employment litigation experience and trial preparation, representing both businesses and employees alike, in federal and state courts and before federal and state agencies.

He is on the Employment Law Arbitration Panel for National Arbitration and Mediation and an Arbitrator for the State of Hawaii's Court Annexed Arbitration Program. He was selected a "Top Rated Lawyer in Labor and Employment" by American Lawyer Media, the nation's largest publisher of legal media, including the National Law Journal, the American Lawyer, and Corporate Counsel....

My passion, legal skill, and commitment to justice stem from years of work in both the private and non-profit sectors. My primary practice is civil rights and liberties both against the government and employers. If you have been discriminated against, harassed at work, or your liberties have been violated, I want to hear from you. At my firm, we believe in making justice work for our clients through efficient, personalized, and outstanding legal services.

Bill was a founding member of the firm in 1989 and was a partner through 2003. He is currently “Of Counsel” to the firm in light of his executive responsibilities with National Golf Courses, Inc. In his nearly 25 years of trial practice in Hawaii, Bill has represented a wide variety of clients as plaintiffs or defendants in matters involving wrongful death, serious personal injury, real estate and business litigation, and environmental litigation. Over the years, his clients have included major insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate, Colonial Penn, USAA, Home Insurance, National Union and United Pacific, major corporations...

The Law Office of Gary G. Singh is a high-volume practice providing legal assistance for immigrants on matters ranging from visa applications, adjustment of status, bond, exclusion and removal proceedings. Gary is an active member of the Hawaii Federal Criminal Justice Act panel where he represents clients before the Federal Court. He is fluent in English, Japanese, Malay and Punjabi, and has been a member of the Hawaii State Bar Association since 1995.

Rick Abelmann is a bankruptcy attorney admitted to practice in Hawaii and New York. He graduated in economics before entering law school, and worked for both small and large business and firms in the past. Rick previously practiced corporate and securities law in Hong Kong with Clifford Chance, one of the largest law firms in the world, and also spent time working on the trading floor for the equities division of the Wall Street investment bank Morgan Stanley. He worked on transactions valued at hundreds of millions of dollars on a regular basis.

After leaving the corporate world,...

Clare Hanusz founded Aloha Immigration in June 2017, after working with the Immigration Practice Group at Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert in an Of Counsel affiliation since October 2013.

Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, Clare has lived in Honolulu since 1995 (with an 18-month move to Melbourne, Australia from 2012-2013). After graduating from Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College in 1991 she moved to Arizona worked for the Valley Religious Task Force on Central America, advocating for immigrants and more just U.S. foreign policies. The opportunity to meet and work with refugees and their attorneys in Arizona propelled Clare...

I was born and raised in central Missouri and received my bachelor's degree in International Studies from the University of Missouri in 1996. Following graduation, I moved to Honolulu and attended the University of Hawaii's William S. Richardson School of Law where I received my juris doctorate in 1999. After receiving my JD, I served as a law clerk to the Honorable Victoria S. Marks in the First Circuit Court of the State of Hawaii. In 2000, I accepted a position as a Deputy Public Defender for the State of Hawaii and began my legal career working...

Kendal was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, and graduated from the Kamehameha Schools. He received his Bachelor of Arts in History from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, and his Juris Doctorate from the Houston College of Law (formerly South Texas College of Law) in Houston, Texas. Kendal is a member of the Hawaii State Bar Association, the HSBA Family Law Section, and the HSBA Bankruptcy Section, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. He is also a member of the Bradley University Chapter of Delta Tau Delta. Kendal and his wife are the...

I practice in the area of civil lawsuits and disputes and specialize in disputes involving personal injury, trusts/estates, real estate transactions, business/corporations, and sex assault claims. I represent clients in federal court, state court, arbitrations, administrative hearings, and mediations. I have received an AV-Preeminent peer-review rating from Martindale-Hubbell. If you would like to discuss any legal issues, please feel free to contact me. E-Mail: dchen@rmhawaii.com Phone: (808) 225-6535 Fax: (808) 521-0597

As an attorney and counselor at law, Christopher D. Thomas has founded his practice on the principles of assertive, energetic, yet personable representation of clients who face the most difficult of legal challenges. Chris understands the daunting tasks facing those he represents, and approaches these problems with the most proactive and resourceful strategies available. He knows that clients want real results, want them quickly, and in the most cost-effective manner possible. Whether via aggressive courtroom litigation, use of alternative dispute resolution, or just practical down to earth advice, success is founded by moving boldly forward to resolution in the...

Practice limited to representing Federal civil service employees with adverse action, discrimination, security clearance revocation, whistle-blower reprisal, and related labor/employment claims before the MSPB, EEOC, OSC, and mediators/arbitrators. Elbridge W. Smith concentrates almost exclusively in representing individual federal employees, primarily handling MSPB and other appeals, EEO complaints and defenses, at the administrative and federal court levels. He has been in private practice since 1977, with firms concentrating in civil rights and employment litigation, representing various federal and private sector unions and their employees. Mr. Smith is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the University of Hawai'i, Richardson School of Law. He...

Richard Turbin, Esq. is a Honolulu personal injury attorney and a partner at the firm Turbin Chu Heidt, Attorneys at Law. Mr. Turbin has been in private practice for nearly four decades. Attorney Turbin is a graduate of Harvard Law School, and was recently recognized as a Traphagen Distinguished Alumni. He is a former president of the Hawaii State Bar Association. In 1999 and 200, Mr. Turbin served as a chair of the American Bar Association’s Trial and Insurance Practice Section, which has over 40,000 members. Mr. Turbin has also won the section’s 2006 Pursuit of Justice of Award. His...

Mitchell S. Wong has been a lawyer in Hawaii since 1991, when he began his career at the law firm of David C. Schutter. At the time, the law firm was known as Schutter & Glickstein, and the focus of the law firm's practice was personal injury and civil litigation. In time, Mr. Wong became a partner at the law firm, which was then restyled as Schutter Dias Smith & Wong. In 2004 Mr. Wong started his present law firm. While Mr. Wong has continued his diverse work in civil litigation, he also expanded his practice to include family...

Focusing exclusively on estate planning, probate, trusts, trust administration, and elder law.

Successful, affordable criminal, DUI, traffic, and general practice attorney Damir Kouliev based on Maui. Call or text the Kouliev firm at 808-854-7558 for quality legal representation that you can afford, with the personal attention that your case requires. 24 hour service available.

Duane R. Fisher concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate law, hotels and resorts, construction law, business structure and operations and commercial transactions. Mr. Fisher has represented a wide range of business organizations, from hotel owners, telecommunications companies, general contractors, Wall Street investment firms and multibillion dollar energy development companies to closely held corporations and sole proprietors, in both private transactions and before federal and state administrative agencies.

Rick Abelmann is a bankruptcy attorney admitted to practice in Hawaii and New York. He graduated in economics before entering law school, and worked for both small and large business and firms in the past. Rick previously practiced corporate and securities law in Hong Kong with Clifford Chance, one of the largest law firms in the world, and also spent time working on the trading floor for the equities division of the Wall Street investment bank Morgan Stanley. He worked on transactions valued at hundreds of millions of dollars on a regular basis. Honolulu bankruptcy attorney ...

Jan K. Apo has over 35 years of experience practicing personal injury law in Hawaii. He has taken on hundreds of cases ranging from auto accidents to product liability claims against large corporations. Utilizing his experience and team of experts, Jan K. Apo will fight diligently for the compensation you deserve.

Mr. Apo was born on Maui and attended High School at Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, Oahu. He then went on to attain a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Whittier College in California. After graduating from the William. S. Richardson School of Law, Mr. Apo worked as...

I am a Hawaii bankruptcy attorney and have 28 years of bankruptcy experience. My entire practice focuses on helping people like you get out from under the crushing burden of debt.

Not all bankruptcy lawyers are the same. Many are very good at putting people on a conveyor belt and moving their cases down the line. After helping thousands of individuals, families and business owners successfully “dump the debt” in bankruptcy, I have learned that nothing is more important than personal attention to each client’s case. When you hire me, you get me. When you call my office, I talk to...

Elizabeth S. Cuccia is one of the managing partners at Wong Leong Cuccia, LLLC. Born and raised in New York, she earned her B.A from Long Island University- CW Post Campus in 2006. She graduated cum laude and with honors for her thesis focusing on the Early Roman Empire. After taking some time off to travel and work she graduated cum laude from Pace University School of Law in 2011.

In addition to being licensed in Hawai’i, Ms. Cuccia is also licensed to practice law in New York. She is currently the Secretary of the Maui County Bar Association. This is...

Michael Garbarino, founder & owner of GARBARINOLAW LLLC, provides client-centered legal services everywhere on Hawaii's Big Island, including by providing free iniital consultations and making house calls. Michael has over two decades of experience as a practicing lawyer, having served in both private practice and public service roles, both in Texas, and now in Hawaii. Michael's work has included positions of significant responsibility in public service, including all of the following: ? DIRECTOR OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL TEXAS HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES SYSTEM AUSTIN, TX 2006 - 2011 ? Served as Deputy Chief Counsel, Director of Sanctions,...

I graduated from the University of Washington Law School and was hired by a Hawaii law firm in 1989. I started my solo practice in Paia in 1994 with a focus on estate planning, probate, real property and small business representation. My secretary, Serena, and I have been providing legal services on Maui's north shore for the last 27 years.

I am the Director of Legal and Government Affairs for the Hawaii Employers Council, the premier HR resource for employers in Hawaii. For more information, please visit www.hilaborlaw.com.