Scott A. Makuakane

Michelle K. Correia is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Real Estate. Michelle K. practices law in Honolulu, Hawaii Best Lawyers has recognized Michelle K. Correia since 2026. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Michelle K. Correia is held by other lawyers.

John Khil is the Chair of the firm's Tax practice group, and concentrates in tax law with an emphasis on pensions, profit sharing and employee benefits. He is a former attorney-advisor in the Employee Plans and Exempt Organizations Division, Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C., where he was responsible for providing legal opinions, drafting Treasury regulations, and assisting in the formulation of tax legislation relating to pension and welfare plans. Mr. Khi...

Brenda Hustis Gotanda is a partner with the law firm of Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox LLP and leads the firm’s sustainability practice group. She has over 25 years of experience representing and counseling business clients on environmental matters, including regulatory compliance, permitting, transactions, project development, and enforcement. She provides strategic guidance to clients seeking to reduce risk and enhance value by integrating environmental compliance and sustainability i...

Brian T. Hirai joined the firmin 1996 as a member of its business/real estate department. His practice is concentrated primarily in public finance.He has over 40 years of experience as a public finance attorney, serving variously as bond counsel, issuer’s counsel, underwriter’s counsel, borrower’s counsel, trustee’s counsel and credit enhancer’s counsel in a broad range of taxable and tax-exempt bond issues for state and local governmental units, including govern...

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...

Christine was born and reared in Japan. She is the President of Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert, and practices in the firm’s Corporate, Commercial, and Real Estate Law practice groups, primarily with Japanese-speaking clients. To address the needs of her Japanese clients, her practice also encompasses Immigration Law, Estate Planning and Employment matters. She is a past Director of Meritas, a worldwide affiliation of commercial law firms, which has members in over 254 global markets. D...

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...

Neal T. Gota is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Trusts and Estates. Neal T. practices law in Honolulu, Hawaii Best Lawyers has recognized Neal T. Gota since 2024. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Neal T. Gota is held by other lawyers.

Timothy Luria is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Family Law. Timothy practices law in Honolulu, Hawaii Best Lawyers has recognized Timothy Luria since 2007. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Timothy Luria is held by other lawyers.

Karl Kobayashi concentrates his practice in the area of commercial real estate with an emphasis on sales, acquisitions, leasing, financing and development. He also practices in the area of entitlements (land use and zoning law) and has represented clients in contested case and other regulatory proceedings before agencies such as the State of Hawai`i Land Use Commission, the Hawai`i Community Development Authority (Kaka`ako), the City and County of Honolulu Zoning Board of Appeals, the Maui Pl...