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Jim has been selected by his
peers to be included in The Best Lawyers in America
in the area of Commercial Litigation. He has also
been rated “AV” (the highest available rating) by
Martindale Hubbell for many years, and is a member of
The Million Dollar Advocates Forum (attorneys who
have won million and multi-million dollar cases).
His legal practice emphasizes civil litigation. As a
director of the firm, he is responsible for
substantial commercial, product liability,
construction, environmental, and personal injury
cases. He also has extensive experience in all
aspects of alternative dispute resolution, having
acted as an advocate, arbitrator and mediator. Jim
chairs the firm's practice management committee and
serves on the compensation, hiring, marketing, and
other committees.
In 2003, Jim was elected Secretary of the Hawai`i
State Bar Association (“HSBA”) for 2004. He has also
been a member of the HSBA’s Judicial Administration
Committee, having been its co-chair for four years
(1997-98, 2001 and 2002). In addition, Jim has
served on the HSBA's Fee Dispute Committee, been a
member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution
Section, and co-founded the HSBA's Lawyer Kokua
Program, which was designed to assist new members of
the Hawai`i Bar. In July 2000, Jim was appointed by
Chief Judge David A. Ezra to the Merit Selection
Panel for United States Magistrate Judge for the
United States District Court for the District of
Hawai`i.
Since being first appointed in 1998 by Chief Justice
Ronald T.Y. Moon, Jim has served on the Hawai`i
Supreme Court's Special Committee on Judicial
Performance, which was created pursuant to Hawai`i
Supreme Court Rule 19. The "Rule 19 Committee's"
purposes include improving individual judges'
performance, providing a source of information for
application and retention decisions by the Judicial
Selection Commission, facilitating the Chief
Justice's assignment and use of judges, improving
the design and content of judicial education
programs, and assisting the Chief Justice in
administering the judiciary. From 1989 to 1992, Jim
served as a delegate to the Hawai`i State Judicial
Conference.
Prior to attending law school, Jim managed several
restaurants in Waikiki while attending graduate
school in the University of Hawai`i's Masters in
Business Administration program. Before joining
Damon Key as a director in 1989, he was a litigation
partner in the Honolulu law firm of Rother, Bybee,
Chang and Rulon.
● The Best Lawyers in America
– Commercial Litigation
● The Million Dollar Advocates Forum (trial
attorneys who have won million and multi-million
dollar cases)
● Hawai`i Supreme Court – Special Committee on
Judicial Performance (1998-2010)
● Hawai`i State Bar Association, Secretary and
Director (2004)
● Hawai`i State Bar Association, Co-Chairman,
Judicial Administration Committee (1997-98, 2001,
and 2002), Fee Dispute Committee, Lawyer Kokua
Program (Co-Founder), Alternative Dispute Resolution
Section
● Hawai`i State Judicial Conference (Delegate –
1989-92)
● State of Hawai`i, Court Annexed Arbitration
Program (Arbitrator)
● American Arbitration Association (Commercial
Arbitration Panel)
● American Bar Association
● Hawai`i Defense Lawyers Association
● St. Anthony's School, Kailua, HI - Chair
(2000-2005); Vice-Chair (1997-99); School Board
(1996-2005)
● Oahu Country Club - President
(2006-07); 1st Vice President (2005-06); 2nd Vice
President (2004-05); Director (2004-07); Grounds Committee
(2003-present); Vice-Chair (2003-04)
● Honolulu Jaycees (1977-79)
Insurance Law: Third Party Coverage in Hawai’i, (NBI
February 2000), Co-author
10 Commandments for a Good Witness
The Internet and the Law - Year 2000 Litigation &
Insurance Issue |
