Alan Van Etten

Gerald A. Sumida is a partner in Carlsmith Ball LLP's Honolulu office and Chair of the firm's Corporate & Business Practice Group. He concentrates on business structuring and operations, including corporate, limited liability company, joint venture and partnership matters; business acquisitions; sales and mergers; securities law; start-up company and venture capital financing; administrative and public utilities law; energy law, including energy project development and project finance; an...

Following graduation from law school, Michael served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jon J. Chinen, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Hawaii. Since joining the firm in 1980, he has continued to use his expertise in bankruptcy law, the main emphasis of his practice. Michael also practices in the areas of bankruptcy & creditor’s rights, business & commercial, dispute resolution, and real estate & land use. In 1992, he and DKLKH colleague, Kenneth Kupchak, co-a...

Judith Ann Pavey has over 45 years of experience in litigation and litigation related alternative dispute resolution. She began her litigation career while still in law school where she received a special certification from the Indiana Supreme Court to act as a prosecutor on criminal cases in Marion County juvenile, misdemeanor and felony courts. Upon graduation she was hired by a high-profile litigator in Hawai‘i, where she established her reputation as a skilled and successful lawyer ...

Michelle K. Correia is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Real Estate. Michelle K., who practices law in Honolulu, Hawaii, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michelle K. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Maile Miller is a Director of the firm. Ms. Miller is a vital member of the firm’s litigation team, representing clients in a variety of matters. Ms. Miller’s practice focuses on construction, business, and land use litigation, frequently appearing before Hawaii’s State and Federal Courts, in addition to administrative agencies such as the City and County of Honolulu’s Zoning Board of Appeals. Ms. Miller represents a wide variety of corporate and public entity clients,...

Trevor A. Brown represents clients in both litigation and transactions. His real estate experience ranges from resort acquisition and development to acting as trial counsel to establish beach access rights based on Kingdom of Hawaii land use. Mr. Brown's corporate experience ranges from negotiating corporate restructurings to acting as trial counsel to force the break-up of related land development corporations. Mr. Brown counsels trustees and beneficiaries in trust matters and also represent...

Mr. Engle's practice focuses in the areas of real estate litigation, construction contracts and disputes, and complex business litigation. Examples of Mr. Engle's work include: Constitutional Law. Represented a national REIT in a highly publicized constitutional challenge of legislation affecting the methods for calculating lease rent under long-term industrial ground leases. Successfully obtained ruling declaring statute unconstitutional under the contracts and equal protection clauses of th...

Curtis B. K. Yuen, Esq. is the President of Law Offices of Curtis B. K. Yuen, A Law Corporation, and has been a practicing attorney for the past 36 years. His law firm concentrates in estate planning, wills, trusts, probate, estate and gift tax advice, asset protection and business succession planning. Curtis is a former estate planning attorney of Carlsmith Ball, LLC (Hawaii’s largest law firm). Curtis is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, an international gr...

Tom Van Winkle is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law. Tom, who practices law in Honolulu, Hawaii, has been recognized since 2001. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Tom is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Norman H.Y. Cheng is Managing Director of the firm. Mr. Cheng concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate, commercial leasing, business structuring, hotels and resorts, and general commercial transactions. His experience includes working on a variety of projects such as condominium development, land use permitting, structured finance, construction agreements and business sales. Mr. Cheng holds Martindale-Hubbell's ® highest possible professional rating AV® given to him by ot...