News & Events

Matthew Evans joined a conversation with his law partner and program host, Na Lan, on Condo Insider of Think Tech Hawaii regarding dispute resolution options and strategies for condominium associations...

Greg Kugle, who is representing the Hawaii Legal Short-term Rental Alliance, appeared on the program Hawaii Together (Think Tech) hosted by Keli‘i Akina to discuss the Short-term Rental Ban which was blocked by the U.S. District Court...

Damon Key’s Mark M. Murakami has been elected as the Hawaii member of Owners’ Counsel of America (OCA), an exclusive association of the nation’s leading eminent domain lawyers…

Civil Beat published an article on 5.24.21 https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/05/bill-would-make-it-harder-to-scrutinize-government-contract-awards-critics-say/ Discussing a piece of legislation…

November 23, 2020: Christine A. Kubota was awarded the 2020 United Japanese Society of Hawaii Award for Contributions to the Japanese Community and Hawaii

August 27 2020: Madeleine Young interviewed by KupunaWiki on Estate Planning

Owners of legal vacation rentals could level a $1 billion lawsuit against state and county governments,…

Damon Key’s Robert Thomas has been elected as a member of the American Law Institute. The members will bring their expertise to…

July 2020: Our Careers page has been updated to include the most current information for the Fall 2020 hiring season (including “on-campus” interviews for our 2021 Summer Associate…

Damon Key Secures Landmark Hawaii Supreme Court Insurance Law Victory Download the Legal Alert Breaking News

Damon Key’s Robert Thomas interviews author Howard Mansfield about his new book “The Habit of Turning the World Upside Down,” which focuses on property rights, property law, and…

Damon Key’s Na Lan will be presenting at a free workshop on “I-9 Form: Employee Eligibility to Work” on May 2, 2018, from 11:30am – 1pm. Details on the…

Damon Key’s Na Lan was a guest recently on Think Tech Hawaii‘s “Condo Insider” program, talking about the legal issues facing condominium and common interest community associations…

The Zoning and Planning Law Report recently published Damon Key’s Robert Thomas‘s article on the U.S. Supreme Court’s regulatory takings decision….

Damon Key’s Na Lan was a guest recently on Think Tech Hawaii‘s “Condo Insider” program, talking about the legal issues facing condominium…

Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert welcomes five more stellar attorneys to our law firm. We are pleased to announce Na Lan, Joanna Zeigler, Brooke Hunter,

Mark M. Murakami has been awarded the Counselor of Real Estate credential by The Counselors of Real Estate. Membership in…

Christine A. Kubota was appointed as one of Tri-Chairs of Gannenmono Committee with Tyler Tokioka and Sal Miwa. The Japanese-American community…

Damon Key’s Robert Thomas served as a source for ProPublica‘s and The Texas Tribune‘s recent series of eminent domain. ProPublica, which holds itself out as “an independent,…

Damon Key’s Mark M. Murakami was quoted in the December 15, 2017 issue of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in the story “As rail heads downtown, land deals get…

Damon Key lawyers Mark M. Murakami, Diane Hastert, and Greg Kugle attended a reception at the University of Hawaii Law School recognizing the award of the…

At the State Senate Chambers, new admittees Andrew Kim, Brooke Hunter, and Ross Uehara-Tilton were sworn as members of the Hawaii Bar, and the Federal Bar….

Damon Key’s Ken Kupchak was a return guest on Think Tech Hawaii, talking about his experiences in the Air Force in the Vietnam war.

One weekend in November, the firm attorneys took a little R & R and held a “no work” retreat, which included a beach-side hike on the windswept North Shore….

The past few weeks, the firm’s lawyers have been volunteering at the Access to Justice Room, providing pro bono legal help to unrepresented civil litigants in District Court, under…

Recently, Damon Key’s Robert Thomas (third from left) spoke at the Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference at the William & Mary Law School in Williamsburg, Virginia. This year, the…

Recently, three Damon Key lawyers were featured speakers at the Hawaii State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting. Robert Thomas spoke about “The Top Ten Appellate Traps, and How to…

Damon Key lawyers Mark M. Murakami and Gregory Kugle recently presented their annual session to the Hawaii State Bar Association’s Real Property Section on Litigation updates in…

Hitomi Sakai (second from right), a lawyer in the Tokyo office of our firm’s Meritas affiliate, recently visited our offices. Pictured here with Damon Key’s Megumi Honami,…

Robert Thomas is the co-planning Chair of the 35th Annual American Law Institute-CLE annual nationwide conference on eminent domain and property law, Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation, to…

Check it out in…

Chris Kubota will be speaking on a panel discussing “Building a Successful International Career” sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Hawaii on Friday, June 2, 2017.

Damon Key’s Doug Smith appeared on KHON-TV2 to talk about the importance of tax and estate planning. Madeleine Young and Megan Lim also answered KHON’s Action…

Megan L.M. Lim recently joined Damon Key in our Estate Planning practice group. Megan grew up in…

Damon Key attorney Mark M. Murakami was interviewed on KHON TV-2 for the evening news for the report “HECO raises concerns over critical, unresolved issues…

Damon Key’s Anna Oshiro and Sara Coes were featured in our recent spot in Pacific Business News.

Damon Key’s Kelly Morikone and Megumi Honami recently presented a seminar at the Hawaii Senior Life Enrichment Association. HISLEA…

On February 1, 2016, Damon Key attorney Loren A. Seehase (along with Dean Ronette Kawakami and Dale Lee, Director…

Damon Key attorney Anna H. Oshiro was quoted in the recent Pacific Business News story “Opponents say…

Law360 reported on the recent Hawaii Supreme Court victory by Damon Key’s Ken Kupchak, Tred Eyerly,…

More about the Thursday, March 5, 2015 community meeting about protecting property owners’ rights if…

RSVP information below. On Thursday, March 5, 2015, from 6:00 – 7:15 p.m. at the Farrington High School Cafeteria (

Damon Key attorneys Greg Kugle and Mark Murakami recently made a presentation sponsored by the Hawaii State Bar Association’s Real…

Citing federal statutes, regulations, and historical precedent, 136 law professors wrote a letter to Congress stating that President…

We have completed our hiring process for 2015 Summer Associates, and are therefore no longer accepting applications. Please visit our…

Damon Key attorney Christine A. Kubota has been reappointed to the Hawaii Supreme Court’s Committee on Court Interpreters and…

Recruiting update: We have completed our on-campus interviews at the University of Hawaii, and are currently in the call-back interview…

Damon Key is participating in the University of Hawaii Law School’s on-campus recruiting program. We are currently reviewing materials in…

On January 10, 2014, Damon Key attorney Mark Murakami presented a session to the Hawaii State Bar Association’s Probate…

Damon Key attorney Christine A. Kubota is the Planning Co-chair of the upcoming Women’s Leadership Summit in Hawaii, a…

Damon Key welcomes our newest lawyer to the firm’s Estate Planning Practice Group, Madeleine M. V. Young. More about her…

In a statewide election, Mark M. Murakami was elected to be the Treasurer of the Hawaii State Bar Association…

Diane D. Hastert was honored at the 10th All-Class Reunion of the University of Hawaii Law School. Diane (Williams S….

We kicked off our second law film festival, “Let’s Film All The Lawyers,” which we sponsor with the Honolulu Museum…

Download our latest Legal Alert, with articles on construction issues, estate planning, and insurance coverage. We also introduce you to…

On Thursday, August 8, 2013, from 10 am – noon, Damon Key attorney Christine Kubota will lead a seminar on…

Damon Key lawyers have been in the newspapers recently. First, Greg Kugle was quoted in “Defend Oahu…

Damon Key attorney Christine Kubota currently serves as President of The United Japanese Society of Hawaii, and she recently…

Here is the audio recording of Damon Key lawyer Robert Thomas’s recent presentation to the Hawaii State Bar Association on…

On August 21, 2013, The Seminar Group is presenting the Second Annual Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law Conference, in Honolulu….

On May, 21, 2013, Tred Eyerly spoke to the Hawaii State Bar Association’s Litigation Section about the “Group Builders” issue…

by Michael A. Yoshida On Monday, May 13, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court clarified when certain debts can be discharged in…

Anna H. Oshiro (ah*@ha**********.com) The Hawaii Supreme Court has issued a construction licensing opinion concluding that renovation contractors are…

Damon Key attorney Robert Thomas will be delivering the Keynote Address at the 7th Annual Virginia Eminent Domain Conference -…

Anna H. Oshiro has the latest on several important bills working their way through the Hawaii Legislature here.

The firm is participating in the Access to Justice Commission’s Pro Bono Initiative, and last month, Damon Key…

Ken Kupchak and Mark Murakami were quoted in the Pacific Business News story “Land acquisition for rail could…

Damon Key attorney Tred Eyerly will be speaking at the upcoming American Bar Association Litigation Section’s conference on Insurance…

In February, Damon Key attorneys Mark Murakami, Bethany Ace, and Tred Eyerly represented the firm at the Access to Justice…

On Tuesday, February 26, 2013 from 7:15 – 8:309 p.m. in Classroom #2, the University of Hawaii Law School is…

This case involves contractors’ licensing and whether the holder of a specialty renovation license is entitled to do certain specialty…

Huapala Senior Care E, LLC, a developer of residential housing for elderly residents of Manoa Valley, today filed a lawsuit…

We’re pleased to announce that the firm has received Tier 1 ranking in the 2013 edition of U.S. News/Best Lawyers…

In early September, we partnered with the Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Museum of Art to present “The First…

We’re pleased to announce that Bethany Ace has joined the firm. Ace is a member of the firm’s appellate practice,…

Four Damon Key attorneys have been named as the “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective practice areas: Christine…

Here‘s a list of land use and related cases that are worth following, or that have been decided…

David McCauley – one of Hawaii’s “Superlawyers” in Immigration Law and head of the firm’s Immigration and Naturalization group…

We’ve launched our Facebook page. Go here, or visit Facebook.com/Damon.Key.hawaiilawyer to follow…

Damon Key attorneys contributed three chapters to a book on eminent domain law, recently published by the ABA, Eminent Domain…

As part of the Fall Meeting of the ABA’s Section of State & Local Government Law in Tucson, on Thursday,…

Tred Eyerly will be a co-presenter at an insurance seminar hosted by Sterling Education Services on August 18, 2011….

Effective July 1, 2011, the Hawaii general excise and use tax exemption for certain persons and business activities is suspended…

Meritas Law Firms Worldwide has announced that Honolulu attorney James C. McWhinnie is the recipient of the 2011 Grahovac…

by Christi-Anne H. Kudo Chock Honolulu rail, officially referred to as the “High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project,” will generate its share of…

This advisory is for Japanese and other foreign nationals from the Pacific stranded in the United States due to the…

In Carlisle talks about rail, budget woes, the Pacific Business News writes about the breakfast meeting with Honolulu…

Damon Key attorneys Anna Oshiro and Mark Murakami were quoted in the Pacific Business News article “Verdict exposes…

The firm has been awarded recertification in Meritas, a global alliance of full service business law firms. Damon Key Leong…

On Friday, February 18, 2011 from noon to 1:00 p.m., Greg Kugle will be speaking to the Hawaii State…

Damon Key welcomes our newest associate, Sara Mostafa-Ray! Fluent in Spanish and Arabic, Sara is part of our Immigration…

On January 13 and 14, 2011, The Seminar Group will be holding the 5th Hawaii…

The Vermont Law Review has published an article authored by Damon Key attorneys Robert H. Thomas, Mark M….

The December 8, 2010 edition of Midweek featured a story on the firm. “Continuing Founders’ Legacy” is about…

Robert Thomas, an attorney with the firm’s Land Use practice group, has published Recent Developments in Challenging the Right to…

Mark Murakami and Tred Eyerly‘s article, “Getting Around LHWCA’s Exclusion Remedy Roadblock – Injured Employee’s Claims Against…

Damon Key partner James C. McWhinnie was reappointed as member of the Special Committee on Judicial Performance.

Damon Key attorney Jim McWhinnie is featured in the February 5, 2010 Pacific Business News report Civil suits…

Damon Key partner Christine Kubota is featured in a story in the February 2010 Hawaii Business magazine, “

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, Damon Key attorney Robert Thomas will be speaking at a teleconference on land use…

On February 25, 2010, from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Eastern (12:30 CT, 11:30 a.m. MT, 10:30 PT, and 8:30 HST),…

Tred Eyerly, who researches and publishes one of the nation’s leading blogs on insurance law – Insurance Law…

Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert attorneys Kenneth R. Kupchak, director; Anna H. Oshiro, director; and Tred Eyerly,…

On October 7, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rescinded its so-called “safe harbor” rule that had specified the steps…

On October 22, the Federal Communications Commission proposed new “Net Neutrality” rules which would prevent Internet service providers (ISPs) from…

On October 20, 2009, the Hawaii Supreme Court held that in order to register as a voter, a person must…

On Thursday, October 29, 2009, Damon Key attorney Robert Thomas will be speaking to Smart Business Hawaii (formerly Small…

Damon Key attorney Mark Murakami celebrates the second anniversary of his law blog, hawaiiloceanlaw.com. “Well, it was last…

Damon Key attorneys Robert Thomas, Mark Murakami, and Tred Eyerly filed an amicus brief in the U.S….

Tred Eyerly, who writes a blog on insurance law got a shout out—a rave review, sometimes called…

At the recent American Bar Association annual meeting in Chicago, Damon Key director Robert H. Thomas was named Chair…

Damon Key is Hawaii’s only Meritas member firm. The affiliation, explained in this Law.com Corporate Counsel publication, gives our…

Kenneth R. Kupchak and Anna Oshiro, firm directors, presented to the Hawaii State Bar Association’s Sept. 18 convention on construction…

Diane Hastert, whose practice focuses on complex litigation and dispute resolution, has been nominated to a second term on…

At the Wahine in Hawaii Business Forum Christine Kubota, one of the firm’s directors, discussed the need for a basic…

Kenneth Kupchak, Diane Hastert, James McWhinnie and Douglas Smith have been named Best Lawyers of 2009 by the vote of…

Michelle Shin was selected as one of Pacific Business News’ Forty Under 40 in 2009. Awardees, all under the…

Frank Damon, a founding partner of the firm, was presented the O in Life Award, Punahou Alumni Association’s most prestigious…

In the picture: Ray Bishop, Chairman of the Board, Goodwill Industries International; Doug Smith; Laura Robertson, President/CEO, Goodwill Industries of…

Meritas, a global alliance of top-rated business law firms, has recertified its sole Hawai`i affiliate, Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert…

DKLKH attorneys Greg W. Kugle, Mark M. Murakami and Courtney S. Kajikawa have been named 2009 Section Chairpersons of the…