Best Lawyers in Hawaii 2012

As the number of legal specialties here—76!—attests, life is complicated. But there’s no need to face those complications without an advocate.

There are 4,107 active attorneys in Hawaii. Which means that the 343 attorneys listed here are the top 8 percent, truly the best.

As we have in past years, we turned to Woodward/White, publishers of The Best Lawyers in America, for this list. Their research method is pure peer review—no attorney can buy their way on to the list, nor is any purchase necessary. To determine the list, Best Lawyers now takes nominations (and no, lawyers may not nominate themselves, either) in each specialty. Lawyers who appeared in previous lists also make this first cut. Best Lawyers then polls lawyers, asking, “If you were unable to take a case yourself, how likely would you be to refer it to this nominee?”

There are even more layers of research than this, and a detailed explanation of the methodology can be found at bestlawyers.com/aboutus/selectionprocess.aspx.

Best Lawyers has also expanded its Lawyers of the Year distinction and, because we changed the month in which we present this list to you, we have some catching up to do and are presenting the Lawyers of the Year for both 2012 and 2013.

Don’t see your lawyer on the list? Don’t worry. As Best Lawyers notes, “Ultimately, a lawyer’s inclusion on these lists is based on the subjective judgments of his or her fellow attorneys. While it is true that the lists may at times disproportionately reward visibility or popularity, we remain as confident today as we were three decades ago that the breadth of our survey, the candor of our respondents, and the sophistication of our polling methodology largely correct for any biases and that these lists continue to represent the most reliable, accurate, and useful as well as the most transparent guide to the best lawyers available anywhere.”

(Looking for the list of Hawaii's Best Lawyers? HONOLULU Magazine generally keeps only the most current version online. Click here to find the most recent list.)