My name is James Kawashima and I have been practicing law in the State of Hawaii since 1972. I received a BA degree from Lewis & Clark College in Portland Oregon in 1964 and after a 4-year stint as an officer in the U.S. Navy attended and received a J.D. degree from the National Law Center, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. in 1972.

My career in the law has been devoted to being a part of several law firms, three among them being Watanabe Ing & Kawashima, Kobayashi Watanabe Sugita & Kawashima, and Kawashima Lorusso, LLP and my entire practice has been devoted to the civil practice of law, almost exclusively trying jury cases. During my 44+ years of practice, I have tried over 50 cases to jury verdict as lead counsel.

The areas of law in which I have practiced extensively and in which I feel qualified to mediate and arbitrate cases include:

1. Injury/Torts;
2. Trusts & Estates;
3. Employment/Labor;
4. Insurance, coverage and defense;
5. Professional Malpractice, Defense of;
6. Real Property; and
7. Commercial/Business.

I am an active member of the following “by invitation only” national trial honoraries, including:

1. The American College of Trial Lawyers;
2. The American Board of Trial Advocates; and
3. The International Academy of Trial Lawyers.

I served an Adjunct Professor of Law from 1988 to 1994 at the William Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaii, teaching trial-related courses and served from 1997 to 2003 an HSBA-elected member of the State Judicial Selection Commission.

Over the years, I have served on numerous cases as a mediator and arbitrator, including cases involving catastrophic injuries, professional (medical, legal and real estate) malpractice, Trust & Estates and commercial and business disputes.

I look forward to serving parties in the most difficult of disputes facing them and bringing these disputes to successful and amicable resolutions.