Founded in Honolulu in 1963 by Frank Damon, a Hawai‘i-born descendant of missionaries from New England, and Henry Shigekane, the son of Japanese immigrants, Damon & Shigekane pioneered new territory by crossing ethnic lines — a rarity in business at that time, even in a place as diverse as our island state.

In the half-century since, the firm that is now Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert has been serving Hawaii with the connections and capabilities of an international firm. We practice Bankruptcy & Creditor’s Rights; Business & Commercial; Litigation and other Dispute Resolution; Employment; Estate Planning; Tax Immigration & Naturalization; Insurance; Intellectual Property; Land Use and Real Estate; and Construction Law, among other areas. We’re the only Hawaii firm to be selected to be part of the Meritas network, an established global alliance of more than 175 independent, full service law firms in more than 70 countries committed to the highest quality benchmarks in the legal industry.

The traditions of our founders continue to this day, and we remain proud of our history of providing excellent counsel to serve the legal needs of our community. Representative of the diversity of our state, the firm is a fusion of cultures and backgrounds, and offers multidisciplinary resources for our clients.

This is a look at the unique history of our firm, compiled by those who worked alongside Frank and Henry, two remarkable professionals.

Our story owes a great deal to the fascinating and divergent backgrounds of our two founders. Although they came from vastly different upbringings, they honored and upheld common values and a common vision that made it possible for them to create a firm that is so much more than a business. Theirs is an account that is as inspiring as it is unusual, and symbolizes the vision and philosophy under which the firm operates to this day.

For more about us, visit our award-winning website hawaiilawyer.com.