Amber Yonamine is an Associate in the firm’s Business & Commercial, Real Estate, and Wills, Trusts & Estates practice groups. Amber earned her law degree from Willamette University College of Law, where she graduated cum laude and served as vice president of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association.
While in law school, she was a Moot Court board member, taking runner-up in the First Year Appellate Competition. Amber was also a member of the Business Law Society, Women’s Law Caucus, and the Multicultural Law Student Association. She was a Zoom Assistant and Teaching Assistant for Civil Procedure, Torts, and Trusts and Estates. Amber received recognition for earning the highest grade in the following classes: Beginner Trusts and Estates Clinic; Advanced Trusts and Estates Clinic; Federal Income Tax; Secured Transactions; and Land Use Planning.
Amber was a Summer Associate with Damon Key in 2020. She was also a Legal Intern with Willamette University’s Clinical Law Program, where she drafted wills, trusts, power of attorneys, and advance-healthcare directives.
With the Oregon Department of Justice, Amber served as a Law Clerk in the Civil Litigation Section, preparing legal research memoranda and pleadings for inmate litigation cases, as well as assisting with mediations, depositions, and trial preparations. As a Student Representative with LexisNexis, Amber presented legal researching tips to law students weekly.
Prior to entering law school, Amber earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering, cum laude, from Oregon State University. While there, she was a College of Engineering Dean’s Scholarship recipient, served as Officer and Captain of the Women’s Ultimate Disc Club, and was a High School Engineering Outreach Volunteer. She was a Process Engineering Intern with Clean Water Services, an Environmental Engineering Intern with Carestream Health Inc., a Sports Club Committee member with Oregon State University Recreational Sports, and an Ambassador with Women and Minorities in Engineering.
With her engineering degree in hand and some job experience under her belt, Amber came to realize that engineering, while interesting and exciting, did not give her opportunity to interact with people to the degree that she desired. She spoke with an advisor who suggested environmental law as a natural transition from environmental engineering.
“After further research, I realized that being an attorney required many of the same skills as being an engineer, such as thinking logically and analytically,” said Amber. “Plus, attorneys interact with people more than engineers do.” She later settled in on trust and estate law, as she realized that her analytical engineering skills translated perfectly to estate planning.
According to Amber, trust and estate work offers the perfect balance of logical thinking and interacting with clients. She has a great appreciation for the important work that is done for clients in this area of the law. “I enjoy helping people plan for their future and understand the estate planning and administration processes. Death is an inevitable part of life, and having an estate plan is one of the greatest gifts you can leave your loved ones.”
Born and raised in Mililani, Hawaii, Amber attended Mililani High School and was valedictorian of the class of 2012. Her interests include ultimate frisbee, vinyasa flow yoga, and indoor rock climbing. She is a member of the Hawaii Ultimate League Association, the premier organization promoting and playing ultimate (frisbee) in the state.
Professional and Community Affiliation
- American Bar Association
- Hawaii State Bar Association
- Hawaii Ultimate League Association
Bar Admission
- State of Hawaii
- U.S. District Court (District of Hawaii)