As an Associate in the firm’s Business & Commercial Law, Condominium & Community Association Law and Real Estate practice groups, Christopher H. Pang brings years of banking experience and a working proficiency in Mandarin Chinese to serve our clients. Christopher earned his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, William S. Richardson School of Law.
While in law school, he earned CALI Awards for Excellence for highest grades in Lawyering Fundamentals I, Business Associations, Evidence, Contract Drafting, Law and Society in China, Advanced Torts & Insurance Law, and Criminal Procedure. He also earned an Achievement Merit Scholarship. Christopher served as Staff Editor and Managing Editor of the Asian-Pacific Law and Policy Journal. He was also active in a wide array of student activities and co-authored Anatomy of the Aloha State Earned Income Tax Credit, Tax Notes State, Feb. 22, 2021, at 829, with Francine J. Lipman.
Christopher previously served as a Summer Associate at Damon Key, where he performed research and analysis for various transactional and litigation matters. He also drafted discovery requests and summary judgment motions, as well as client memos, letters, a settlement agreement and a commercial lease.
Also prior to joining the firm, Christopher served as a Judicial Extern to Associate Justice Sabrina S. McKenna of the Supreme Court of Hawaii. While there, he drafted memoranda on applications for writs of certiorari and observed oral arguments before the court. He was also a Judicial Extern to the Honorable James H. Ashford of the First Circuit Court of the State of Hawaii. While there, Christopher researched and analyzed law and motion matters involving civil cases, drafted memoranda with recommendations for the court, and observed court proceedings. He was strongly impacted and motivated upon hearing from Judge Ashford and Justice McKenna that his research and memoranda helped them to decide cases.
Christopher is a graduate of Columbia University, where he earned his Master of Arts in East Asian Languages and Cultures (Chinese Literature). He also received a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Chinese and Finance, cum laude, from Georgetown University. While at Georgetown, he routinely made the Dean’s List or higher, participated in various student activities, and completed a summer study abroad program in Beijing, China.
With his finance degree secured, Christopher held various banking positions over a seven-year period. He first worked as a Credit Analyst and Commercial Loan Underwriter at Hawaii National Bank, where he analyzed financial statements and evaluated the performance of small and medium sized businesses.
He later worked as a Corporate Banking Associate at First Hawaiian Bank, assisting in reviewing legal documents including credit agreements, guaranties, and other loan documents. He also managed Corporate Banking Officers’ loan portfolios, and evaluated and monitored the credit risk profile of existing loans.
“I have always had some interest in the law, but my interest deepened through working in corporate banking and reviewing complex loan documents for syndicated loans, which are of high dollar amount and involve multiple lenders,” said Christopher. “Reviewing those documents led me to realize that I wanted to be on the legal side of business transactions and help businesses as an attorney, rather than as a lender.”
Christopher’s impressive language skills include a working proficiency in Mandarin Chinese, with the ability to speak, read, and write, as well as varying degrees of proficiency in German, Classical Chinese, Latin and Ancient Greek.
He was born and raised in Honolulu and attended Iolani School from grades seven through nine. Christopher then moved with his family to the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from Monte Vista High School in Danville, California. He once participated in a year-long candidacy program of the Central Province of Dominican Friars, in Denver, Colorado. He has a strong interest in music, including the violin, piano, and erhu (a Chinese stringed instrument), which he played in his youth. He also enjoys weightlifting, jogging, and swimming.
A diligent, analytical and motivated individual and practitioner, Christopher is interested in the Chinese American/Asian American business community, improving neighborhoods, and combating poverty.
Professional and Community Affiliation
- American Bar Association
- Business Law Section
- Tort Trial and Insurance Practice
- Labor and Employment Law Section
- Litigation Section
- Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section
- Young Lawyers Division
- Hawaii State Bar Association
- Alternative Dispute Resolution Section
- Business Law Section
- Collection Law Section
- Insurance Coverage Litigation Section
- Litigation Section
- Real Property & Financial Services Section
- Tax Section
- Access to Justice Room (Honolulu District Court), Volunteer
- Hawaii LBGT Legal Association
Bar Admissions
- State of Hawaii
- U.S. District Court (District of Hawaii)