HomeMy WebLinkAboutMcCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnonHonolulu Office: P.O. Box 2800 • Honolulu, Hawaii 96803-2800 Kauai Office: Hana Kukui Center Five Waterfront Plaza, 4th Floor • 500 Ala Moana Boulevard • Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 4463 Pahe`e Street, Suite 207 • Lihue, Hawaii 96766
Telephone (808) 529-7300 • Fax: (808) 524-8293 Telephone (808) 632-2267 • Fax: (808) 524-8293
June 30, 2025
Via email only: crystalline.pacheco@hawaiicounty.gov
Ms. Diane Nakagawa, Director of Finance
County of Hawaii
RE: Notice to Providers of Professional Services
FN.8 Attorney (Bond Counsel)
Dear Ms. Nakagawa:
This letter responds to the recent Notice to Providers of Professional Services. Should the
need arise, attorneys in our Firm are interested in being selected by the County of Hawaii
to provide bond counsel services.
We provide the following information to address the specific requirements of the Notice:
1. Information about McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP (“M4” or the
“Firm”). M4’s principal place of business is Five Waterfront Plaza, Suite 400, 500 Ala
Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96813. We also have an office on Kauai, located at
4463 Pahe’e Street, Suite 207, Lihue, Hawai'i 96766. The telephone number for the main
office is 808.529.7300 and for the Kauai office is 808.632.2267. Our email address for
general inquiries is info@m4law.com.
2. Age of the firm and average number of employees over the past five years. The
firm was founded May 1, 1989. Over the last five years McCorriston Miller Mukai
MacKinnon LLP has had an average of approximately thirty-three attorneys supported by a
staff of approximately 20 secretaries, legal assistants, litigation assistants, and others.
3. Education, training, and qualifications of key members of the firm. Our enclosed
Firm Brochure contains short summaries of the qualifications and representative cases of
our attorneys.
4. Recent projects and clients. Attorneys Brian T. Hirai and Darren L. Nunn have
represented various entities, including State and county agencies, in recently closed
public financing transactions that we believe provide a good representation of the Firm’s
work and capacity as bond counsel:
1. $171.875 Million Public Finance Authority Student Housing Revenue Bonds
(CHF-Manoa, L.L.C. UH Residences for Graduate Students) Senior Series 2023A
Ms. Diane Nakagawa, Director of Finance
June 30, 2025
Page 2
and Subordinate Series 2023B. Served as special counsel to the University of
Hawaii (ground lessor) for this new money issue of revenue bonds. Sale Date:
September 2023. Client Contact: Jesse Souki, Associate General Counsel,
University of Hawaii (808-956-6160).
2. $72.815 Million Board of Water Supply of the City and County of Honolulu Water
System Revenue Bonds, Series 2024A (Sustainability Bonds). Served as counsel
to BofA Securities, Inc. and Raymond James & Associates, Inc., as underwriters,
in connection with this new money issue of revenue bonds. Sale Date: March
2024. Client Contact: Frank Laurterbur, Managing Director, BofA Securities, Inc.
(213-345-9575).
3. $35.73 Million Department of Budget and Finance of the State of Hawaii Special
Purposes Refunding Revenue Bonds (Hawaii Pacific University Project) Series
2024. Served as special counsel to Hawaii Pacific University in connection with
this refunding issue of special purpose revenue bonds. Sale Date: June 2024.
Client Contact: Erika Strawn, Associate General Counsel, Hawaii Pacific
University (808-544-0296).
4. $56.64 Million County of Kauai General Obligation Bonds, Series 2024. Served
as bond counsel to the County of Kauai in connection with this refunding issue
of general obligation bonds. Sale Date: December 2024. Client Contact:
Matthew Bracken, County Attorney, County of Kauai (808-241-4930).
5. $142.14 Million County of Hawaii General Obligation Bonds, Series 2025. Served
as bond counsel to the County of Hawaii in connection with this new money
issue of general obligation bonds. Sale Date: April 2025.
5. Promotional material. A copy of our Firm Brochure is enclosed.
Thank you for your consideration. I encourage you to visit our website at www.m4law.com
and contact me at 529-7303 should you require any additional information.
Very truly yours,
McCORRISTON MILLER MUKAI MacKINNON LLP
Stephen S. Holmes, Managing Director
Encls: Firm Brochure
Five Waterfront Plaza, 4th Floor 500 Ala Moana Boulevard Honolulu, HI 96813
Tel. 808 529-7300 Fax 808 524-8293 www.m4law.com
info@m4law.com
Firm Brochure
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Introduction To McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP
McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon’s professionals carry on Statewide and
international practices from their offices in Honolulu. The Firm is comprised of lawyers
whose practices and reputations are well established and highly regarded in Hawai‘i and
other areas of the Pacific Rim. The Firm represents clients in major business transactions
and in litigation throughout the State.
The Firm’s principal practice groups concentrate in the areas of Real Estate, Litigation,
Real Estate Finance, Hospitality Industry matters, Corporate, Government Regulation and
Relations, Insurance Defense, Insurance Law, Health Care and Public Finance. A
significant number of the Firm’s lawyers also are involved in international transactions
representing Japanese, Hong Kong and Korean companies and individuals in the U.S., and
U.S. companies involved in projects in China, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, and other
countries in Asia.
Areas of Practice
Real Estate
The real estate practice group works on a full range of transactions involving real estate
development, construction and development loans, loan restructurings and work-outs,
acquisitions and dispositions, commercial leasing and equity investments. Its clients in
this area include landowners, developers, banks and investment banks, property
managers, insurance companies, architects, construction contractors and others involved
in all facets of the real estate industry.
The Firm also has extensive experience in time sharing, including work on numerous
projects across the U.S. and in other countries. Our expertise extends to all aspects of
time sharing, including property acquisition, product design and structuring registrations
in various jurisdictions, marketing, management, interim financing, and receivables
financing. The Firm’s attorneys also serve as a consultant or adviser to the States of
Hawai‘i and California.
Litigation
The Firm has a diverse litigation practice, with an emphasis on complex commercial
transactions, corporate disputes, professional liability, defense of persons accused of
white collar crime, insurance, and other civil litigation. The litigation group is comprised
of lawyers who have extensive experience in the courtroom; however, while litigation is a
significant component of the services rendered by this group, lawyers in the group are
also skilled in alternative dispute resolution proceedings and in court mandated and
voluntary arbitrations.
In the area of plaintiff’s personal injury claims, the Firm obtained one of the highest
settlements ever awarded by the State of Hawai‘i for loss of life of a minor.
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In land-related litigation, the Firm has handled lawsuits involving the sale of golf courses,
leasehold condemnation cases for a major Hawai‘i land trust, and mortgage foreclosure
actions for major lenders.
Our Litigation Section has received both national and statewide recognition with its
members being included in the American College of Trial Lawyers, American Board of
Trial Advocates, and “AV” ratings with Martindale-Hubbell.
Hospitality Industry
The hospitality industry group represents hotel developers and owners, equity investors,
ground lessors and lessees, operators and others involved in the State of Hawaii’s
principal industry: tourism. Representative transactions in which the Firm’s attorneys
have been involved in Hawai‘i have included the acquisition, financing and/or
development of such well-known hotels as the Kahala Hilton Hotel, Hyatt Regency Hotels -
Kaanapali and Waikiki, Ala Moana Hotel, Waikiki Beachcomber, Kona Village Resort,
Westin Maui, Kapalua Bay Hotel, Maui Marriott, Kaanapali Embassy Suites Hotel, and
Outrigger Prince Kuhio Hotel. The Firm has recognized expertise in both advising and
litigating matters concerning hotel management agreements.
Corporate
The corporate practice group concentrates in mergers and acquisitions, corporate
finance, financial services, insurance, investment vehicles, and corporate and insurance
restructuring and work-outs, with a significant concentration of work in international
transactions involving U.S. and foreign companies doing business in Asia and the Pacific
Rim.
Estate Planning, Probate and Elder Law
The estate planning and probate group concentrates on the areas of estate planning,
probate, elder law, and estate/trust administration. Services encompass estate tax
planning and preparation of estate planning instruments, including trusts, wills and estate
planning entities such as family limited partnerships. The Group is involved in
domiciliary and ancillary probate matters, and counsels clients in Medicaid and other
planning areas affecting senior citizens.
Creditors’ Rights
The creditors’ rights group involves representation of clients in collection, mechanics’
lien, foreclosure and bankruptcy matters, with an emphasis on creditors’ rights.
Government Regulation and Relations
The Firm is routinely involved in the representation of clients in virtually all phases of
federal, state and county administrative agency and executive department actions. This
includes agency and departmental investigations, and adjudicative rulemaking, licensing
and penalty actions. This area of the Firm’s practice also includes the representation of
clients in state and federal court actions seeking to mandate agency actions, to enjoin
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proposed or pending agency actions and seeking to overturn or support final agency
determinations. In addition, the Firm represents clients before federal and state
administrative agencies and departments to obtain advisory opinions and rulings.
On the other side of the coin, State agencies and every county government of the State
have retained the Firm in specialized matters because of its recognized expertise.
Insurance Defense and Insurance Law
The Firm represents several major insurers. It has developed a specialty practice in the
defense of actions against insurance companies for bad faith and extra-contractual
damages. It routinely handles cases involving personal injury, property damage,
contracts, products liability, construction issues, employment discrimination, and
professional, directors’ and fiduciary liability. A considerable part of the practice in this
area is devoted to insurance coverage issues, primarily on behalf of insurers.
Additionally, the Firm has represented the Insurance Commissioner of the State of
Hawai‘i in the highly specialized field of rehabilitating and/or liquidating insolvent
insurance companies. The Firm acted as counsel to the Rehabilitator and Special Deputy
Rehabilitator to the Hawaiian Insurance Group, a troubled insurer of Hawai‘i residential
and commercial property, with respect to the restructuring and eventual sale of this
insurer to a major U.S. insurance company. During this representation, the Firm
negotiated a $32,000,000 settlement in favor of the Rehabilitator. The Firm has
represented the Insurance Commissioner as Liquidator in liquidation proceedings
involving a failed life insurance company, where nearly $100 million has been recovered
for the benefit of policyholders through actions filed by the Firm.
Health Care
The health care practice group is an interdisciplinary group of experienced health care
attorneys providing a broad range of legal services to health care providers, payors and
related organizations. As a group, these attorneys have significant experience
concentrated in key health law areas, as well as broader experience in health law matters
generally. The depth and diversity of this experience enables the health care practice
group to provide effective legal representation to the Firm’s health care clients, both in
general counsel engagements and in special counsel engagements for a wide variety of
specific matters and transactions. The Firm’s health care attorneys represent a diverse
mix of health care clients, including hospitals, health care systems, individual doctors,
dentists and other medical practitioners, health care payors and insurance companies,
pharmaceutical companies, and other participants in the health care industry. Each
representation is tailored to the client’s particular needs and circumstances to ensure that
quality service is provided in a timely, responsive and cost-effective manner.
As part of the Firm’s overall public finance practice, the public finance group and health
care practice group have established a joint practice concentrated in bond financing
transactions for health care institutions. Through the combined experience of both
groups in health law matters generally, as well as in finance-related matters, the attorneys
in this health care financing practice offer flexible, innovative financing approaches
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designed specifically for hospitals, nursing facilities, health systems and related clinical,
educational and research facilities.
Public Finance
The Firm’s public finance group offers a full range of legal services in bond financings by
state and local government agencies and authorities. The attorneys in this group have
extensive experience in handling tax-exempt and taxable bond financing transactions for
a wide variety of facilities and projects, including public buildings, streets, water and
sewer facilities, primary and secondary schools, college and university facilities, economic
development projects, housing facilities and health care facilities. The combined
resources of the Firm’s other practice groups are also available to public finance clients to
ensure that their needs and circumstances are addressed appropriately in the context of
their financing plans.
The Firm’s public finance attorneys have played key roles in numerous bond financing
transactions, serving variously in these transactions as bond counsel, special counsel to
state and local bond issuers, underwriter’s counsel, counsel to bond trustees, counsel to
nonprofit organizations and private developers of bond-financed facilities and counsel to
credit enhancement or liquidity support providers for bond issues. In these roles, they
have had significant responsibilities in all aspects of bond financing transactions,
including: development of appropriate financing plans and structures; compliance with
state bond laws and with federal and state tax and securities laws; negotiation and
preparation of principal financing and security documents, credit enhancement and
liquidity support documents, and bond underwriting or placement agreements; and
preparation of official statements and other bond offering circulars used in the marketing
of bond issues.
International Business Practice Group
The international business practice group represents international companies and
individuals doing business in the United States, with a principal emphasis on Hawai‘i.
Foreign investors not only require comprehensive legal services, but detailed knowledge
of the complexities of the U.S. legal system and Hawai‘i business customs—all of which is
most effectively presented in their native language. To meet this need, the Firm has
Japanese, Chinese, and Korean speaking attorneys on staff.
This practice group consists of attorneys from all the Firm’s practice areas. These
attorneys have participated in many of Hawaii’s most prominent and complex real estate
and corporate transactions, loan restructurings and workouts, acquisitions and
dispositions, and litigation.
Languages
English and Japanese
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Partners
JORDAN KEALAIKALANI INAFUKU
Admitted to bar, 2015, Hawai‘i and U.S. District Court, District of Hawaii. Education:
Stanford University (B.A., 2011); University of Hawai‘i William S. Richardson School of
Law (J.D., summa cum laude, 2015). Member: Hawai‘i State Bar Association. Litigation.
Mr. Inafuku is a partner in the firm’s litigation department. His diverse practice includes
complex civil litigation, insurance defense, construction litigation, labor and employment
law, Native Hawaiian rights, and commercial litigation. Since joining the firm, Jordan has
been selected as a Super Lawyers, Rising Star (2016-2020), as a lawyer delegate to the
United States District Court, District of Hawaii, Judicial Conference (2019-2021), and as a
participant in the Hawaii Federal Trial Academy (2019). He has also argued before the
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Jordan received his law degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Hawaii at
Manoa, William S. Richards School of Law, where he served as a Managing Editor for the
University of Hawaii Law Review and as an award-winning member of the Native
American Moot Court Team. He received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in
seven classes and was awarded the John S. Edmunds Award for Civility and Vigorous
Advocacy. During school, Jordan also served as a judicial extern to Chief Justice Mark E.
Recktenwald and volunteered in the Governance Department of the Office of Hawaiian
Affairs.
An alumnus of the Kamehameha Schools-Kapālama Campus, Jordan received his Bachelor
of Arts in Science, Technology, and Society from Stanford University, where he was a
member of the men’s volleyball team that captured the 2010 NCAA Championship. Jordan
currently serves as the Program Head for Boys Volleyball at ʻIolani School.
AWARDS AND HONORS
• Lawyer Delegate, U.S. District Court, District of Hawaii, Judicial Conference, 2019-2021
• Super Lawyers® Rising Star, 2016-2020
• CALI Excellence for the Future Award for earning the highest grades in Civil Procedure,
Legal Practice, Appellate Advocacy, Administrative Law, Business Associations, Native
Hawaiian Rights, and Intellectual Property Litigation
• John S. Edmunds Award for Civility and Vigorous Advocacy, 2015
• First Place Best Oral Advocate, Native American Moot Court Competition, 2015
• Second Place Best Team, Native American Moot Court Competition, 2014
PUBLISHED WORKS
• Jordan Kealaikalani Inafuku, E Kūkulu ke Ea: Hawaii’s Duty To Fund Kahoʻolawe’s
Restoration Following the Navy’s Incomplete Cleanup, 16 Asian-Pac. L. & Pol’y J. 22
(2015).
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JOEL D. KAM
Born Honolulu, Hawaii; admitted to bar 1993, Hawaii; 1994, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth
Circuit. Education: University of Hawaii (B.A. with distinction, 1989); Stanford University
Law School (J.D., 1993). Phi Beta Kappa. Member: Hawaii State (Member, Section on Real
Property and Financial Services; Collection Law) and American (Member, Section on Real
Property, Probate and Trust; Young Lawyers Division) Bar Associations. Real Estate;
Leases and Leasing; Natural Resources; Sports Law.
Mr. Kam serves as one of the Firm’s Co-Managing Partners. He specializes in real estate
transactions, real estate development with an emphasis on land use entitlements and
zoning matters, lease rent negotiation and arbitration, ground leases, financing, and
administrative proceedings.
Mr. Kam has represented clients in connection with the acquisition, financing,
development and disposition of resort, office, mixed-use, industrial and master-planned
properties. He has extensive experience with lease rent negotiations and arbitrations, and
with land use permits, entitlements and zoning matters. Mr. Kam has also successfully
represented clients in administrative proceedings before various state and county boards
and commissions, and is a skilled oral advocate.
As special counsel to the City and County of Honolulu in 1999, Mr. Kam co-authored
substantial and structural revisions to Honolulu’s Land Use Ordinance (LUO) that
instituted the major/minor permit application processes which remain in effect to date.
He has been frequently retained by the State of Hawaii, Department of Commerce and
Consumer Affairs as a special consultant on subdivision registration matters. Mr. Kam is
also an arbitrator with the Court Annexed Arbitration Program administered by the
Hawaii Supreme Court.
LAUREL K.S. LOO
Admitted to bar 1988, Hawaii. Education: University of Hawaii (BS); William S. Richardson
School of Law, University of Hawai‘i (J.D., 1988). Member: Hawaii State Bar Association.
Ms. Loo is a native of Kauai and heads the Kauai office of M4. Laurel currently serves as
one of the Firm's Co-Managing Partners. As a former deputy County Attorney advising
the Kauai County Planning Department and Planning Commission, Laurel started a
private practice in 2005 which continues to emphasize real estate litigation and land use
law.
In addition to expanding her litigation practice, Laurel has become a professionally
trained mediator and has successfully concluded many mediations and arbitrations on
Kauai. Parties have evaluated her work as “efficient” and “empowering.”
Laurel has been the Girls Court judge for several years on her island, where juvenile girls
are given targeted treatment, therapy and opportunities to improve their lives. For her
work in the justice system, Laurel was recognized by the Kauai Commission on the Status
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of Women and her alma mater, Waimea High School, as an outstanding community leader.
Previously a journalist, Laurel had an award-winning weekly column in The Honolulu
Advertiser. She then attended the William S. Richardson School of Law, where she was an
editor of the University of Hawaii Law Review.
Laurel’s personal interest includes English horseback riding, canoe paddling and raising
Portuguese Podengos, a breed of dog not known for sitting quietly in law offices.
CLIFFORD J. MILLER
Born Los Angeles, California; admitted to bar, 1973, California; 1974, Hawai‘i. Education:
University of California at Irvine (B.A., 1969); Pepperdine University School of Law (J.D.,
1973). The Best Lawyers In America, 1993-present. Chambers USA, America’s Leading
Business Lawyers (2003-Present). Hawaii’s Top Lawyers (Honolulu Magazine). Member:
State Bar of California; Hawai‘i State (Member, Sections on Real Property and Financial
Services; Business Law) and American (Member, Sections on Business Law; Real
Property, Probate and Trust Law; International Law and Practice; Law Practice
Management) Bar Associations. American College of Real Estate Lawyers. Urban Land
Institute. Mr. Miller serves as the Firm’s Business/Real Estate Section Chairman. Real
Estate; Real Estate Development; Finance; Business Organization; International Business;
Multimedia.
DAVID J. MINKIN
Born New York, New York; admitted to bar, 1984, Hawai‘i and U.S. District Court, District
of Hawaii; 1996, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Education: State University of New
York at Buffalo (B.A., 1975); University of Hawai‘i (M.P.H., 1980); William S. Richardson
School of Law, University of Hawai‘i (J.D., 1984). Professor, Legal Assistant Program,
Kapiolani Community College, 1994-1995. Per Diem District Court Judge, First Circuit,
1995-1996. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, City and County of Honolulu, 1984-1994.
Crimestoppers-Honolulu (Board of Directors, 1997-). Member: Hawai‘i State (Member,
Sections on Elder Law; Collections;) and American (Member, Sections on Litigation;
Labor and Employment Law) Bar Associations. Government Contracts/Procurement;
Administrative Law; Class Action; Trail Law; Construction Law; Commercial Litigation;
Products Liability; Civil Rights; Collections; Criminal Defense; Health Care; Legal
Malpractice.
SHAUN M. MUKAI
Born Honolulu, Hawai‘i; admitted to bar, 1998, Hawai‘i and U.S. District Court, District of
Hawaii. Education: University of Southern California (B.A., cum laude, 1994); William S.
Richardson School of Law, University of Hawai‘i (J.D., 1998). Phi Alpha Theta.
Blackstonians. Golden Key National Honor Society. Co-Editor-in-Chief, University of
Hawai‘i Law Review (1997-1998). Member: Hawai‘i State (Member, Sections on Business
Law; Real Property and Financial Services; Intellectual Property and Technology) and
American (Member, Sections on Real Property, Probate and Trust; Business Law; Young
Lawyers Division) Bar Associations. Real Estate; Commercial Litigation; Bond Finance.
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STANLEY Y. MUKAI
Born Kauai, Hawai‘i; admitted to bar, 1961, Hawai‘i. Education: University of Kansas and
University of Hawai‘i (B.A. Math., 1958); Harvard Law School (LL.B., 1961). Adjunct
Professor of Law, University of Hawai‘i, School of Law, 1976. Chairman, Board of Regents,
University of Hawai‘i, 1983. Board of Governors, Iolani School, 1989-. Board of
Governors, East West Center, 1995. Chairman, Kuakini Medical Center Board of Directors,
1984-1986. Trustee, Hawai‘i Tax Institute, Chaminade University, 1980-1994. Chairman,
Section on Taxation, Subcommittee on U.S. Direct and Portfolio Investments by
Foreigners, 1979. Co-Chairman, Subcommittee on Important Developments and Annual
Report, 1981. Member: Hawai‘i State (Member, Section on Taxation) and American
(Member, Sections on International Law and Practice; Taxation) Bar Associations; Japan-
Hawaii Economic Council. Taxation; Business; International Business Law; Health Care.
DARREN L. NUNN
Born Fremont, California; admitted to bar, 1994, Maryland; 1996, District of Columbia;
1997, California; 2004, Hawai‘i. Education: University of California, Berkeley (B.A.,
summa cum laude, 1991); University of Pennsylvania Law School (J.D., 1994). Phi Beta
Kappa. Editor, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 1992-94. Member: Maryland
State Bar; District of Columbia Bar; State Bar of California; Hawai‘i State Bar; American
Bar Association. Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Securities Law.
Darren is a partner in the firm’s Corporate and Public Finance groups. His practice
includes providing legal and business advice on start-up issues, venture capital financings,
mergers and acquisitions, securities law matters, corporate governance and other
business transactions. He also represents issuers and underwriters in connection with
public offerings of municipal securities.
Prior to joining McCorriston, Darren served as General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer
of Optimum Communications Technologies, Inc. in San Francisco. He also practiced law at
Fenwick & West LLP in Palo Alto and San Francisco as an associate in the corporate
securities group; Pillsbury Winthrop LLP in San Francisco as an associate in the corporate
securities group; and Ginsburg Feldman and Bress in Washington DC as an associate and
summer associate in the communications group.
Darren lives in Santa Monica with his wife and son. He practices in Los Angeles and
Honolulu.
RANDALL F. SAKUMOTO
Born Honolulu, Hawai‘i; admitted to bar, 1988, Hawai‘i and U.S. District Court, District of
Hawaii. Education: University of Hawai‘i-Manoa and University of California, Los Angeles
(B.A., magna cum laude, 1984); Hastings College of the Law, University of California (J.D.,
1988). Foreign Associate, Nagashima & Ohno, Tokyo, Japan, 1992-1994. Co-author:
Hawai‘i District Court Landlord-Tenant Manual (1992). Co-drafter: City and County of
Honolulu Zoning Code, Land Use Ordinance, Chapter 21, Revised Ordinances of Honolulu,
1999. Commissioner, State of Hawai‘i Land Use Commission (2002-2006). Member:
Hawai‘i State (Member, Section on Real Property and Financial Services) and American
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(Member, Section on Real Property, Probate and Trust) Bar Associations; American Land
Title Association; Hawai‘i Developers’ Council (Board Member and Secretary). Real Estate
Acquisition; Real Estate Development; Real Estate Finance; Real Estate Leasing.
MICHAEL D. SCARBO
Admitted to bar Hawaii, 2014. Education: Willamette University College of Law in Oregon
(J.D.); Davidson College in North Carolina (B.A.).
Michael D. Scarbo joined M4 at the start of 2024 and practices in the Kaua`i office,
primarily in the areas of estate planning and real estate law.
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Michael received his undergraduate degree from
Davidson College in North Carolina in 1998. Since that time, he has worked as a reporter
for the Daily Sitka Sentinel in Sitka, Alaska, served as a public school teacher in Alaska,
Virginia, Oregon, and Hawai`i, and has worked as a licensed real estate agent and small
business owner on Kaua`i. Michael graduated cum laude from Willamette University
College of Law in Oregon.
Focused, efficient and detail oriented, Michael’s life experience and pragmatic nature
enable him to see creative, practical, and cost-efficient solutions to client challenges.
Michael and his family have called Kaua`i home since 2003.
RANDALL K. SCHMITT
Born Rantoul, Illinois; admitted to bar, 1984, Hawai‘i and U.S. District Court, District of
Hawaii; 1989, U.S. Court of Military Appeals; 1992, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit;
1995, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: U.S. Naval Academy (B.S., Ocean Engineering,
1976); William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawai‘i (J.D., 1984). Editor-in-
Chief, University of Hawai‘i Law Review, 1983-1984. [Lt., U.S. Navy, 1972-1981; CAPT,
JAGC, USNR, 1986-2004]. Representative Cases: Exxon Shipping Co., v. Pacific Resources,
835 F.Supp. 1195 (D.Haw. 1993); Exxon Co. v. Sofec, Inc., 54 F.3d 570 (1995); Exxon Co.
USA v. Sofec, Inc., 134 L. Ed. 2d 1986, 116 S. Ct. 1038, 64 U.S.L.W. 3591 (1996). Member:
Hawai‘i State and American (Member, Sections on Litigation; Intellectual Property Law)
Bar Associations; Maritime Law Association (Proctor, 1995). Commercial Litigation,
focusing on maritime issues and construction litigation (primarily representing design
professionals) and representation of ocean-based businesses (with a concentration on ocean
energy); Admiralty; Products Liability; Civil Rights; Employment Discrimination;
Environmental; Construction Litigation.
BRETT R. TOBIN
Admitted to bar: Hawaii (2011); U.S. District Court, District of Hawaii; U.S. Court of
Appeals, 9th Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit; U.S. District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia; U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Education: J.D. (2004),
University of Virginia, School of Law, Notes Editor, Virginia Law Review, Semifinalist,
William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition, Raven Society; B.A. (1997), College of William
and Mary. Practice areas: Intellectual Property; Litigation and Alternative Dispute
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Resolution; Commercial and Business Litigation; Real Estate Disputes. Published works:
Copyright Protection for Fashion Designs in the Wake of Star Athletica, Hawaii Bar Journal,
September 2018; Raw Emotions and Fishy Judgment: Aloha Poke Company and the Cost
Benefit Analysis of Cease-and-Desist Letters in the Social Media Age, Hawaii Bar Journal,
February 2019. Best Lawyers, Commercial Litigation, 2019, 2020, 2021.
Mr. Tobin concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial and business litigation,
real estate disputes, and intellectual property litigation. Brett works to help clients
navigate their way through complex issues and disputes, seeking out creative and efficient
solutions to their problems. Through his experience, Brett has represented individuals
and Fortune 500 companies in both state and federal court as well as before the
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) and various other administrative bodies.
Brett has been practicing in Hawaii since 2011, earning recognition by Best Lawyers for
the past three years. Brett started his career at the renowned litigation firm of Williams &
Connolly in Washington, DC, spending five years there gaining invaluable experience
working on a variety of high stakes matters. Before that, Brett clerked for the Honorable
J. Frederick Motz of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
Brett serves on the Publications Committee of the Hawaii State Bar Association, and he
volunteers his time working with the Access to Justice project in Hawaii District Court as
well as supporting other local pro bono programs.
Brett’s pre-law career included two years as a sportswriter for a newspaper in Virginia
and a stint teaching English at Beijing Normal University in China.
Counsel
WILLIAM C. McCORRISTON
Born Honolulu, Hawai‘i; admitted to bar, 1970, Hawai‘i; 1971, California; 1973, District of
Columbia. Education: University of Oregon (B.S., 1967); University of Oregon School of
Law (J.D., 1970); The National Law Center, George Washington University (LL.M., 1974).
Staff Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, 1970-1973. Assistant U.S.
Attorney, 1973-1975. The Best Lawyers in America, 2001-2002. Hawaii’s Top Lawyers
(Honolulu Magazine, June 2001). Member: State Bar of California; District of Columbia
Bar; Hawai‘i State (President, 1988) and American Bar Associations (Member, Sections on
Litigation; Tort and Insurance Practice). Hawai‘i Board of Examiners, 1974-1985.
American College of Trial Lawyers. American Board of Trial Advocates. American
Arbitration Association. Mr. McCorriston serves as the Firm’s Litigation Section Chairman.
Complex and Multi-District Litigation; Professional Malpractice; Insurance; White Collar
Criminal Defense; Antitrust; Civil Rights; Constitutional; Construction Litigation; Contracts;
Environmental Law; Government; Products Liability.
FRANKLIN K. MUKAI
Born Waimea, Kauai, Hawai‘i; admitted to bar, 1970, Hawai‘i; 1976, U.S. Tax Court.
Education: University of Hawai‘i (B.A., 1962; M.A., 1965); Hastings College of the Law,
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University of California (J.D., 1970). Member: Hawai‘i State and American (Member,
Sections on Taxation Law; International Law and Practice) Bar Associations. Taxation;
Business; International Business Law.
D. SCOTT MacKINNON
Born New York, New York; admitted to bar, 1973, California; 1974, Hawai‘i; 1981, U.S.
Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Education: University of California at Santa Barbara (B.A.,
1970); University of California at Davis School of Law (J.D., 1973). Order of the Coif.
Associate Editor, University of California at Davis Law Review, 1972-1973. Editor,
Hawai‘i Conveyance Manual II, 1988. The Best Lawyers in America, 1993-present.
Chambers USA, America’s Leading Business Lawyers (2003-Present). Hawaii’s Top
Lawyers (Honolulu Magazine). Representative Transactions: Nauru Tower; Hawaiki
Tower, Keauhou Golf Course; Kiahuna Golf Club; Kiahuna Plantation; The Pointe at Poipu;
Kiahuna Shopping Village-Phase I; Vista Waikoloa; Hualalai Resort. Member: Hawai‘i State
(Member, Section on Real Property and Financial Services [Chairman, 1988]), and
American (Member, Sections on Business Law; Real Property, Probate and Trust Law) Bar
Associations; State Bar of California. Real Estate; Real Estate Finance; Real Estate Leasing;
Real Estate Arbitration; Condominiums; Eminent Domain; Land Use; Commercial
Loans/Workouts.
ELENA P. BEGUNOVA
Admitted to bar Hawaii, 2024; New York, 2016. Education: J.D. (2015) Harvard Law
School; B.S. (2012) Finance; B.A. (2012) Sociology, University of Michigan – Dearborn.
Member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Ms. Begunova joined the firm in 2023 as a corporate counsel. Her practice includes
providing legal advice on debt and equity securities offerings, leveraged finance, mergers
and acquisitions, public finance transactions, regulatory matters, corporate governance,
as well as advising start-up and VC companies.
Prior to joining McCorriston, Elena worked for eight years as a capital markets associate
and practice manager at several premier law firms: Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP
(2021 – 2023), Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, (2017-2021), Clifford Chance LLP, London
(2015-2017).
Prior to law school, Ms. Begunova worked as an IT consultant for numerous industries,
including automotive, financial, retail industries and real estate holdings.
ANA F. HALSEY
Admitted to bar Hawaii, 2024; New York 2020. Education: J.D. (2019) Georgetown
University Law Center, Cum Laude; B.A. (2014) Wesleyan University, Member of Phi Beta
Kappa.
Ms. Halsey is of counsel at the firm in the corporate department. Her practice includes
providing legal and business advice on general corporate and business organization
matters, private equity fund formation and other business transactions.
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Born and raised in New York, Ana received her undergraduate degree from Wesleyan
University in 2014 and graduated cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in
2019, where she was a member of The Tax Lawyer and received the CALI Excellence for
the Future Award in Constitutional Law I, Writing for Practice: Corporations, and
Emerging Growth Companies and Venture Capital Financings.
Prior to joining McCorriston, Ana was most recently an associate in the corporate
department at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York, where she advised on multi-billion-
dollar private equity fundraises, secondary transactions and co-investment equity
syndications.
BRIAN T. HIRAI
Born Lihue, Kauai, Hawai‘i; admitted to bar, 1977, Pennsylvania; 1996, Hawai‘i.
Education: Drake University (B.A., 1974); University of Pennsylvania (J.D., cum laude,
1977). Phi Beta Kappa. Mr. Hirai heads the firm’s Public Finance and Health Care Practice
Groups. Member: Hawai‘i State (Member, Sections on Business Law; Real Property and
Financial Services) and American (Member, Sections on Health Law; State and Local
Government) Bar Associations. National Association of Bond Lawyers. American College
of Bond Counsel. Public Finance; Health Law; Bond Finance.
D. KAENA HOROWITZ
Admitted to bar Hawaii and U.S. District Court, District of Hawaii; Ninth Circuit U.S. Court
of Appeals (2017). Education: Swathmore College (B.A., 2006); California State
University, Sacramento (M.A., 2009); University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of
Law (J.D., 2012).
Kaena is of counsel in the firm’s litigation department, focusing on civil litigation,
construction litigation, and insurance defense. A resident of the Big Island, Kaena
previously represented the County of Hawaii as a Deputy Corporation Counsel – including
arguing before the Hawaii Supreme Court and twice before the United States Court of
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. More recently, he served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney.
Kaena also gained valuable experience with several boutique litigation firms on Oahu and
in Kailua-Kona.
He currently volunteers with National History Day and is the former Head of Program for
Kamehameha Schools Hawaii Swimming and Water Polo.
KENNETH G. K. HOO
Born Honolulu, Hawai‘i; admitted to bar, 1975, Hawai‘i. Education: University of Hawai‘i
(B.S., 1971, Selected Studies and Honors Program); Santa Clara University School of Law
(J.D., cum laude, 1975), Emery Scholarship. Phi Alpha Delta. Member: Hawai‘i State
(Member, Attorney-Client Mediation Committee) and American (Member, Sections on
Litigation; Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice) Bar Associations. State Liquor
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Administrators Legislative Committee. Real Estate; Real Estate Tax Appeals; Civil
Litigation; Business; Workers Compensation; Liquor Licensing; Public Utility.
ERIC T. KAWATANI
Born Honolulu, Hawai‘i; admitted to bar, 1981, Hawai‘i and U.S. District Court, District of
Hawaii; 1982, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Education: University of Hawai‘i (B.A.,
1973; M.A., 1978); The National Law Center, George Washington University (J.D., 1981).
Member: Hawai‘i State and American (Member, Sections on Real Property, Probate and
Trust; International Law and Practice) Bar Associations; American Immigration Lawyers
Association Hawai‘i Chapter. Languages: Japanese. Real Estate; Corporate; Immigration
and Naturalization.
CHARLES E. PEAR, JR.
Born Macon, Georgia; admitted to bar, 1976, Hawai‘i; 1977, Florida; 1978, U.S. Court of
Appeals, Ninth Circuit; 1994, Colorado. Education: University of Hawai‘i (B.A., 1972);
Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley (J.D., 1975). Editor-in-Chief,
Industrial Relations Law Journal, 1974-1975. Chambers USA, America’s Leading Business
Lawyers (2003-Present). Member, Real Estate Commission Committee on Resort
Legislation, State of Hawai‘i, 1978-1979. Special Counsel, Timesharing Legislation,
Committee on Consumer Protection, House of Representatives, Hawai‘i State Legislature,
1981-1983. Editor-in-Chief: Hawai‘i Conveyance Manual II, 1987. Editor: Hawai‘i
Commercial Real Estate Manual, 1988. Contributing Author: Winning With Computers II,
1993. Contributing Author: Time Share Registration, Hawai‘i Real Estate Manual, 1997.
Visiting Professor, Law and Computers, University of British Columbia Faculty of Law and
IBM Center for Law and Computers, 1990-1993. Member, Subcommittee on Multi-Site
Time Share Plans, California Department of Real Estate Subdivision Advisory Committee,
1995. Member: Hawai‘i State (Chairman, 1982-1984 and Director, 1982-, Member,
Section on Real Property and Financial Services); Colorado; and American (Member,
Sections on Business Law; Real Property, Probate and Trust Law) Bar Associations; The
Florida Bar. American Resort Development Association. Real Property; Timesharing;
Condominium Development; Real Estate Development; Intellectual Property Litigation;
Computer Law.
STEWART PRESSMAN
Born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; admitted to bar, 1989, California; 1996, Hawai‘i.
Education: University of Southern California (B.S. in Business Administration, 1985);
Loyola Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1989). Order of the Coif. Member: State Bar of
California, Hawai‘i State (Member, Section on Business Law) and American (Member,
Sections on Business Law; Intellectual Property Law) Bar Associations. Corporate Law
concentrating in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, venture capital transactions, private
equity fund organization, securities law, and general corporate and business organization
matters.
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Representative Experience
• Mergers and acquisitions practice is focused on complex transactions representing
both purchasers and sellers in a wide range of publicly and privately held company
acquisitions and divestitures, as well as takeover transactions.
• Venture capital practice involves representation of venture capital fund
organizers, venture capital fund investors, and emerging growth companies,
counseling such start-up clients in all aspects of formation and organization, debt
and equity financing, including private placements and public offerings of
securities, and strategies for ultimate exit transactions.
• Currently named as one of America’s Leading Lawyers for Business by Chambers
USA in the area of corporate law, and has also been selected by The Best Lawyers in
America® and Honolulu Magazine in the areas of Mergers & Acquisitions Law and
Corporate Law. Mr. Pressman has been in a prior year named by The Best Lawyers
in America® as Honolulu Mergers & Acquisitions Law Lawyer of the Year.
STACEY C.G. HEE
Born Honolulu, Hawai‘i; admitted to bar 1999, Hawai‘i. Education: Northwestern
University (B.A., 1993); Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 1998). Member: Hawai‘i
State (Member, Sections on Probate and Estate Planning; Real Property and Financial
Services) and American (Member, Sections on Business Law; Real Property, Probate and
Trust) Bar Associations. Languages: Mandarin. Litigation, Corporate, Taxation.
Associate Attorneys
SABRINA N. GOUVEIA
Admitted to bar, 2023, Hawai‘i and U.S. District Court, District of Hawaii. Education:
University of Hawaii (M.B.A.); University of Hawaii, William S. Richardson School of Law
(J.D., 2023). Member: Hawai‘i State Bar Association.
Sabrina N. Gouveia is an associate in the firm’s litigation department. Her practice
involves real estate disputes, commercial litigation, construction litigation, and complex
civil litigation.
Sabrina received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa William
S. Richardson School of Law where she served as a Teaching Assistant for Contracts and
Legal Writing courses. In addition to receiving the CALI Excellence for the Future Award
in Legal Writing I and Legal Research, Sabrina placed in the 2023 Federal Bar Association
Admiralty Law Writing Competition.
Sabrina also earned a Master in Business Administration degree from the University of
Hawai‘i at Mānoa Shidler School of Business. During this time, she served as Vice
President for the Graduate Student Business Association.
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Sabrina was born and raised in Hawaii and graduated from ‘Iolani School. Thereafter, she
attended Santa Clara University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and
a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with an emphasis in Dance.
SAE M. LEE
Admitted to bar, 2020, Hawai‘i and U.S. District Court, District of Hawaii. Education:
University of Massachusetts Amherst (B.S., 2013); University of Hawaii, William S.
Richardson School of Law (J.D., 2020). Member: Hawai‘i State Bar Association.
Sae M. Lee is an associate in the firm’s transactional department where she works in real
estate and real estate development, corporate, and international business practice groups.
Sae is fluent in Korean.
Born in Sapporo, Japan and raised in Honolulu, Oahu, Sae graduated from Sacred Hearts
Academy. She then received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, concentrating
in Neuroscience, with a minor in Cultural Anthropology from the University of
Massachusetts Amherst in 2013. Thereafter, Sae graduated from the University of Hawaii,
William S. Richardson School of Law in 2020, where she served on the Publishing
Committee and as Case Note Editor for the University of Hawaii Law Review.
While in law school, Sae was a judicial extern at the Hawaii State Probate Court for the
Honorable R. Mark Browning, Chief Judge of the First Circuit. In 2018, Sae was awarded
the Samuel L. Cohen Fellowship for Human Rights and worked on Darfur genocide cases
with former prosecutors of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.
Prior to attending law school, Sae worked in foreign policy and international relations
with the development department of Pacific Forum CSIS, Center for Strategic and
International Studies.
MICAH M. MIYASATO
Admitted to bar Hawaii, 2023. Education: J.D. (2023) University of Hawaii, William S.
Richardson School of Law; B.S. (2018) Political Science, Corban University.
Micah M. Miyasato is an associate in the firm’s litigation department. He focuses his
practice in complex civil litigation, commercial litigation, and insurance defense.
In 2023, Micah graduated cum laude from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa William S.
Richardson School of law. There, he served as a staff writer and Casenote Editor for the
University of Hawai‘i Law Review. During his studies, Micah earned the highest grade in
Legal Writing II, Legal Research, Second Year Seminar, and Civil Procedure II.
Prior to law school, Micah graduated from Christian Academy in Honolulu. He earned a
B.S. in Political Science from Corban University.
M. NATSUMI NISHIMOTO
Admitted to bar Hawaii, 2022. Education: J.D. (202) University of Hawaii, William S.
Richardson School of Law; B.A. Accounting, Finance, and International Business,
University of Hawaii at Manoa, Shidler College of Business.
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Natsumi Nishimoto is an associate in the firm’s transactional department. She is fluent in
Japanese and works primarily on Real Estate, Corporate, Estate Planning, and
Immigration matters.
Born and raised in Hawaii, Natsumi graduated from Iolani School. She received her
Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting, Finance, and International
Business from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Shidler College of Business. Thereafter,
Natsumi graduated from the University of Hawaii, William S. Richardson School of Law
(“Richardson”) in 2022. During her time at Richardson, Natsumi received a CALI
Excellence for the Future Award for achieving the highest grade in Contract Drafting and
served as a Second Year Seminar Teaching Assistant for Professor Ronald C. Brown.
Founding Partner
JON T. MIHO (1942-2017)