Cades Schutte LLP

John is a partner in Cades Schutte's Litigation Department. He has represented a diverse range of clients in areas of law including condominium associations, real estate, media, insurance, commercial contracts, and Internet and privacy law. His clients have included the large (media companies, multinational banks, insurance carriers, international law firms) and the small (condominium owners, real estate brokers, inventors, artists, non-profit organizations, individual homeowners, and small businesses). His advocacy has resulted in several precedent-setting victories for his clients in the state Supreme Court.

Roger has more than 48 years of experience concentrating in pension plans, employee benefits, and closely-held business organizations.

Roger represents clients in various industries, including major financial institutions, professionals, insurance companies, and key players in the hospitality and medical industry, among others, on qualified and nonqualified retirements plans, and welfare benefit plans.

Vito is Senior Counsel in the Tax Department of Cades Schutte.

Vito joined Cades Schutte in 1979. His areas of practice include partnership and real estate tax law, tax compliance, as well as Hawai‘i state tax law. Structuring the tax aspects of complex business transactions involving equipment leasing, real estate, energy, or housing credits are areas of special emphasis for Vito.

Vito was a director of the Hawai‘i Tax Foundation, and serves on the various fund-raising committees of several charitable organizations. He is listed in The Best Lawyers America and has been a speaker on various tax topics.

Chris brings a combination of local and international experience to bear on effectively representing clients in complex real estate transactions. He is the Chair of the Hospitality and Resort Property Practice Group.

Chris regularly represents clients ranging from large institutions to individuals in purchase and sale transactions, title and entitlement due diligence, real estate development and construction documentation, financing, and commercial leasing.

He previously practiced in the Tokyo office of a large international law firm, where he focused on complex cross-border investment in Japanese real estate. He often represents Japanese clients and is proficient in spoken and written Japanese.

Michael is a partner in the firm’s Litigation Department. Known for his meticulous, strategic approach to the resolution of complex disputes, Michael has successfully navigated clients through their most significant legal matters.

For more than four decades, he has been called upon to serve as lead counsel in some of the most notable actions throughout the state. He has been repeatedly recognized by Best Lawyers in America® in the categories of Bet-the-Company Litigation and Commercial Litigation, among others, and Benchmark Litigation identifies him as among the Litigation Stars in Hawaiʻi.

As a litigation partner, Amanda strives to blend practical advice with vigorous advocacy. She regularly advises and represents employers in labor and employment matters as part of her broader commercial litigation practice.

Amanda represents employers in state and federal trial and appellate courts, in arbitrations, and in administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission, and the Department of Labor. She has successfully defended employers against claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and whistleblowing. She has also achieved favorable decisions in union grievance arbitrations. Amanda frequently advises clients on difficult employment matters and compliance issues, provides training to supervisors and employees, and conducts workplace investigations.

Rick is one of Hawai‘i’s top lawyers for sophisticated real estate transactions and developments. For 30 years he has represented large landowners, developers, and investors on properties and projects state-wide.

Rick is the resident partner in the firm’s Maui office. He focuses on resort, condominium, commercial, and subdivision developments state-wide. He regularly acts as lead counsel for some of the largest developments in the State and understands the complex, interdisciplinary work needed to make a project a success.

Keri Ann is a partner concentrating in intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and licensing.

She counsels clients on all aspects of foreign and domestic intellectual property portfolio management, including filing U.S. patent, trademark, and copyright applications at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office, filing international PCT patent applications and Madrid Protocol trademark applications, prosecution, licensing, and due diligence.

Phil's range of real estate skills has depth that comes with over 40 years of experience. Phil is senior counsel in the Finance and Real Estate Department and the Litigation Department of Cades Schutte. He has extensive experience with real estate transactions, title analysis, financing, broker licensing, title insurance, leases, easements, subdivisions, condominiums, shopping centers, and hotels in Hawai‘i.

In addition to real estate transactions of many types, Phil is comfortable in court representing clients in real estate litigation matters ranging from quieting title, to resolution of disputes over modern-day real estate transactions.

Cary is the Chair of the Banking and Finance Practice Group, and works closely with his clients to resolve seemingly complex issues towards successful closings. Through his experience and insight, he seeks to complete transactions to the mutual benefit of all parties involved, while continuing to protect his clients.

Cary represents large institutional clients, businesses, and individuals in commercial lending transactions, in their capacities as lender as well as borrower or guarantor.

He has advised Hawai‘i-based lenders for over 30 years, in corporate, commercial, business, construction, and commercial real estate loan documentation, financing structures, participations, syndications, and closings, including real estate advice regarding conveyancing, leasing, and trusts.

Pat is Senior Counsel in the Litigation Department, and is the Chair of the Environmental Law Practice Group.

Her practice concentrates on environmental law, lender liability, and commercial litigation.

Pat focuses on the representation of clients in connection with claims by the State of Hawai‘i and United States environmental regulatory agencies and on the representation of clients involved in environmental litigation with private parties.

Her practice also focuses on the representation of lending institutions that have been sued by borrowers on a broad variety of lending and foreclosure-related claims.

Colin is senior counsel and has practiced law at Cades Schutte for over 40 years, primarily in the Intellectual Property, Construction Law and Litigation, and Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Practice Groups.

His practice concentrates on commercial and general business litigation, including litigation of trademark, copyright, and patent disputes, lender liability claims, and arbitration of construction delay and defect claims.

Michi is a partner in the Litigation Department of Cades Schutte. She works on a wide variety of complex commercial and real estate litigation matters.

Michi’s practice broadly encompasses commercial, business, and real estate litigation, and includes the representation of financial institutions and schools in a variety of matters. She has a wide-range of experience in all aspects of litigation, including motions practice, discovery, and jury trial. In recent years, she worked on a trial team that secured a complete defense verdict in a four-week jury trial in federal district court.

Craig has extensive experience representing clients in the petroleum, electric, and alternative/renewable energy industries.

Craig is a partner at the firm with a focus on energy, public utilities, and business and real property transactions. He is the Chair of the firm’s Energy Group and Co-Chair of the firm’s Internet, eCommerce & Information Technology Group.

His energy practice includes advising on a wide array of energy issues, including those arising in purchase power negotiations, capital projects, fuel contracts, rate cases, financing matters, infrastructure, mergers and acquisitions, legislation, administrative proceedings, and investigations, as well as providing guidance in the formulation of strategic plans, regulatory frameworks, case management, regulatory interaction, and government affairs.

Kirk is a partner in the Litigation Department of Cades Schutte. His practice focuses on representing clients in all types of litigation, including issues pertaining to bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, construction, labor and employment law, environmental law, and insurance.

Prior to joining Cades Schutte, Kirk was an Associate for Faegre Baker Daniels LLP in Denver, Colorado. While at Faegre Baker Daniels, Kirk was extensively involved in the representation of commercial fishermen and seafood businesses with regard to their claims arising out of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and represented several high-profile businesses in various commercial disputes in state and federal court.

Trisha is a partner in the Litigation Department of Cades Schutte. Her practice areas include the defense of medical malpractice claims, personal injury, insurance litigation, and the representation of physicians in administrative disciplinary matters.

Trisha has represented numerous clients in alternative dispute resolution and has assisted lead counsel in trying medical malpractice cases to verdict.

Nathan practices in the areas of real estate, banking and finance, hospitality and resort property, land use, public utilities and telecommunications, zoning and entitlements, and real property tax appeals. He is also a member of the firm’s Management Committee.

Nathan was Editor-in-Chief of the University of Hawai‘i Law Review from 2005 to 2006. He was also active in moot court, serving as a member of the Moot Court Board and member of the Law School’s 2006 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court team, whose memorials (legal briefs) were judged best in the United States and second in the world.

Peter has a wealth of experience representing both insurers and insureds in complex insurance disputes, including litigation both in state and federal courts. He also has a very active practice representing attorneys and law firms in legal malpractice and professional responsibility claims.

Peter is Senior Counsel practicing in the firm’s Litigation Department, and is a past Chair of the Insurance Defense and Professional Liability Practice Group. His practice focuses on insurance coverage and liability, legal malpractice defense, personal injury and product liability defense, and mass media law.

Jeff is a partner in the Litigation Department of Cades Schutte. His practice is concentrated in construction litigation, government procurement disputes, commercial litigation, and media law.

Jeff has represented design professionals, owners, architects, and contractors in disputes concerning delay claims, mechanic’s lien claims, bid protests, completion costs, design errors, breach of contract, and insurance coverage disputes. Jeff has also represented various other entities in fraud, antitrust, securities, and employment disputes.

Gunner served as Chair of the Corporate Department until 2007 and is now Senior Counsel to the firm. He serves as President and Director of the Cades Foundation.

He has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporation law, business law, and franchise law. He is ranked in the Chambers & Partners USA Guide and has been included in The Best Lawyers in America® for corporate law and mergers and acquisitions since 1989.

Dave is a partner practicing in the area of litigation, and is Co-Chair of the firm’s Construction Law and Litigation Practice Group.

Dave’s practice concentrates in the areas of contract and real estate litigation, construction litigation and arbitration, public contract law, and water resources law.

Summer is a partner in Cades Schutte's Trusts & Estates Department. She enjoys creating and implementing estate planning strategies to accomplish a client’s goals.

Summer concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, probate and trust administration, conservatorship and guardianship proceedings, and trust and estate disputes. She also assists clients with international estate planning issues, including investing in U.S. real property and pre-immigration planning.

An especially important and gratifying part of Summer’s job is to educate clients and distill complex ideas into a readily understandable and user-friendly format. She believes that a successful client relationship is built on listening to the client and finding the right solution to accomplish their individual objectives.

Kristin is a partner in the firm’s Litigation Department and the firm’s Recruiting Chair.

Kristin’s extensive litigation experience is concentrated in the areas of health care, labor and employment, educational institutions, insurance defense, and professional liability. Since 1998 she has defended some of Hawai‘i’s largest public and private health care providers against claims of medical negligence, breach of contract, and premises liability, as well as advised her clients regarding medical staff credentialing, peer review, and compliance. She has been recognized for her work in this area by her inclusion in Best Lawyers for Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants.

Justin is a partner in the Finance and Real Estate Department at Cades Schutte.

Justin has a broad transactional practice including complex financing matters, real estate, and other corporate matters. He regularly represents lenders and borrowers in financing matters and sellers and purchasers in sales and purchase transactions. He has a particular focus in debt finance and has been lead counsel on over $2 billion in local to Hawai‘i debt financing transactions.

Gail practices in the area of finance and real estate. Her areas of practice focus on leasing, financing, purchase, and sale of real estate, agreements of sale of real estate, state subdivision registration, arbitration, condemnations, and lease to fee conversions.

Andrea leverages her background in business and technology, and experience in regulatory matters, to help clients achieve their business objectives.

Andrea practices in the areas of finance and real estate. Andrea represents financial institutions in commercial loan transactions, and regularly advises lenders in consumer finance compliance matters. She also works on commercial real estate transactions, commercial leasing, and assisting clients with the nuances of Hawai‘i real estate law.

Dan is a partner in Cades Schutte's Trusts & Estates Department. With expertise in complex tax planning techniques, Dan leverages strategies that efficiently shift wealth between generations while minimizing tax burdens for individuals and businesses.

Dan counsels clients with matters related to all aspects of trust administration and estate settling, such as preparation and implementation of both revocable and irrevocable estate planning techniques, including intentionally defective grantor trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, and other accompanying documents to ensure a smooth transition between generations.

Keith is a partner practicing in the area of litigation. He is Co-Chair of the Construction Law and Litigation practice at Cades Schutte.

Keith’s practice focuses on civil litigation, construction litigation, commercial law, and suretyship. He is an Appointed Arbitrator of the Hawai‘i Circuit Court system.