Mark F. Gallagher

Paul Sato is a seasoned Hawaii litigation attorney who has 50 years experience. Mr. Sato is Of Counsel to the firm and focuses his practice in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Real Estate Law, Corporate Law and Administrative Law. Mr. Sato has been selected for inclusion to The Best Lawyers in America ® list in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Real Estate Litigation and Real Estate Law. Mr. Sato is rated AV Preeminent® , Martindale-Hubbell’s® highest rating po...

A. Bernard “Bernie” Bays is a Director of the firm. Mr. Bays has over 50 years of experience and has successfully represented clients in numerous landmark Hawaii litigation cases and over 150 trials or arbitrations. Mr. Bays focuses his practice in the areas of complex commercial litigation, business litigation, real estate litigation, trusts and estates litigation, legal malpractice law-defendant litigation, real estate law and land use and zoning law. Mr. Bays is Board Certified...

Lex R. Smith is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Lex R., who practices law in Honolulu, Hawaii, has been recognized since 2008. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lex R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Bert T. Kobayashi, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Antitrust Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation and Construction Law. Bert T., who practices law in Honolulu, Hawaii, has been recognized since 1993. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Bert T. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

John L. Knorek, a Director at the firm, provides counsel and representation to large and small employers in all aspects of employment and wrongful discharge law. His practice also includes collective bargaining negotiations, affirmative action compliance, mediation and arbitration. He provides training to businesses on employment discrimination and preventative personnel practices, including family leave, disability law and sexual harassment. Mr. Knorek is a founding co-editor of the Hawaii C...

Ken is a Fellow in the American College of Construction Lawyers, and has served on the Governing Committee of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Construction Industry. He has degrees in chemistry from Cornell and meteorology from Penn State. In 1996, Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences named him a Centennial Fellow. He was a meteorologist for 4 years, serving as General Staff Weather Briefing Officer in Saigon, Vietnam (7th Air Force), and Chief Forecaster ...

Jordan Inafuku is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Construction, Litigation - Municipal and Litigation - Real Estate. Jordan, 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 Jordan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Vicki Nakahara is a Partner in the firm's Honolulu office and is a member of the Transactional practice group. She concentrates her practice in the areas of commercial real estate transactions, financing and lending, and corporate transactions. Ms. Nakahara began her legal career working as an associate at Lane Powell PC in their Portland, Oregon office. Representative Matters Commercial Real Estate Prepared and negotiated documentation of the sales of real property on behalf of sellers and b...

Tom E. Roesser chairs the firm's Bankruptcy & Creditors Rights Practice Group. Mr. Roesser concentrates on advising financial institutions on problem loans, including loan workouts and foreclosures, bankruptcy, and lender liability issues. He served as President of the Bankruptcy Law Section of the Hawai`i State Bar Association in 2005 and is also a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association. He also concentrates in commercial ...

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...