Kamā'āina.
Attorney. Advocate.
Being from O'ahu, Hawai'i has always been more than where I am from. It shapes how I think about family, community, and what people actually need when things fall apart. After 'Iolani School and Lehigh University, I earned my J.D. from St. Thomas University College of Law, where I worked with the Human Rights Institute serving Miami's diverse communities. That experience deepened something I had carried my whole life: that the law only does its job when the people who need it most can actually use it. Not everyone navigating a Hawai'i case is standing on island soil, and I understand that firsthand, as my own life has stretched across California, New Jersey, and Florida.
Before opening this practice, I spent over four years handling Hawai'i family law matters across hundreds of cases, from first consultation through resolution and, when necessary, through trial. The matters I handled covered the full range of what families face: contested and uncontested divorce, child custody and support, relocation disputes, paternity, post-decree modifications, domestic violence, TRO proceedings, and military family law. I worked hard to resolve cases without litigation wherever possible, not to avoid a fight, but because negotiated and mediated outcomes tend to be more durable. Hawai'i courts frequently require mediation, and I have seen firsthand what a difference it makes when families engage early and arrive prepared.
Too many Hawai'i families fall through a gap, earning too much for legal aid and too little for a $400/hour retainer. This practice was built for them. For the parent reading custody papers alone at 10pm. For the spouse who knows what they want but is afraid of getting it wrong. For the survivor who needs to understand a TRO before walking into a courtroom. I started this practice because real legal help should be within reach, not just for people who can afford to write a $10,000 check.