Tajima LLP represents clients in California litigation with a Hawaii nexus. Our clients include Hawaii-based businesses and individuals, as well as parties elsewhere whose disputes involve Hawaii relationships, transactions, operations, or evidence.
Managing Partner Chase Tajima and Partner Jackie Levien were both born and raised in Hawaii and are admitted to practice in Hawaii and California. They bring firsthand familiarity with the islands’ culture and business community to a practice built for the demands of Los Angeles litigation.
The aloha spirit. The resolve to litigate.
In our experience, finding counsel who understands Hawaii’s culture and business relationships—and is equally prepared for the demanding litigation environment of Los Angeles—is not always easy.
For us, the aloha spirit means treating people with respect, listening carefully, and recognizing that a dispute can affect relationships and reputations far beyond the courtroom. Those values are fully compatible with firm advocacy. Respectful communication does not require conceding a strong position, and a willingness to resolve a dispute does not mean being unprepared to try it.
Tajima LLP bridges that gap. We bring an understanding of Hawaii to the client relationship and disciplined, determined advocacy to the California courtroom.
Hawaii experience in a dispute spanning the Pacific
Our work in the RTI Connectivity and Gateway Network Connections dispute illustrates how Hawaii can play a central role in a broader mainland and international matter. The dispute involved a Guam data center and subsea cable infrastructure, related California litigation, arbitration through Dispute Prevention & Resolution, Inc. (DPR), and federal court proceedings in Hawaii.
DPR arbitration results. Our attorneys obtained an award requiring the refund of approximately $1.7 million in co-location rent, along with an award reinstating a telecommunications executive as CEO and director of the data center. These were specific favorable results within a dispute involving multiple claims.
District of Hawaii confirmation. On September 27, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii denied the opposing party’s motion to modify or vacate the final award and confirmed both the final award and the earlier award addressing the executive’s removal. Read the court’s decision in RTI Connectivity Pte., Ltd. v. Gateway Network Connections, LLC, No. 23-00165 LEK-WRP.
That experience reflects the work this page is about: understanding Hawaii’s role while managing the contracts, corporate relationships, evidence, and proceedings that extend well beyond the islands.
Additional Hawaii matters
Chase Tajima’s Hawaii experience also includes significant tax disputes and real estate transactions:
- $70 million in general excise tax assessments involving Maui. Represented a hotel REIT in resolving and settling Hawaii general excise tax assessments totaling $70 million in a matter involving Maui.
- U.S. Tax Court trial victory for Hawaii residents. Served as counsel for the taxpayers in Johnston v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2015-91, obtaining a favorable trial decision that defeated the IRS’s asserted cancellation-of-indebtedness income assessment.
- $30 million Hawaii condominium 1031 exchange. Advised on a $30 million Section 1031 exchange involving leased-fee interests in a Hawaii condominium.
When the connection matters
We represent businesses, owners, investors, executives, and other clients throughout the United States and internationally in California disputes involving Hawaii connections, including:
- Contract disputes involving Hawaii-connected counterparties, transactions, or performance.
- Partnership, shareholder, and corporate-control disputes involving Hawaii owners or investors.
- Disputes over California real estate or business investments involving Hawaii-connected owners, investors, financing, or transactions.
- Trade secret, fiduciary-duty, and business fraud claims involving people, records, or operations in both states.
- Matters in which existing counsel needs a California litigation team that understands the dispute’s Hawaii relationships and business context.
The relevant connection may arise from the opposing party, the underlying transaction, or the evidence, regardless of where our client is based. Our attorneys’ Hawaii admissions and practice experience provide additional perspective when a California dispute involves the islands; the scope of any representation is determined for the particular engagement.
A team that understands both sides of the Pacific
Clients should not have to choose between a Hawaii firm whose California litigation capabilities may not meet the demands of their case and a Los Angeles firm unfamiliar with Hawaii’s business culture. Tajima LLP brings both perspectives to the same representation: an understanding of the islands and the capability to handle complex California litigation.
In our experience, that combination has made a meaningful difference in significant matters where Hawaii was an important part of a broader mainland and global dispute. Understanding the Hawaii relationships and business context helped us evaluate the facts, communicate with the people involved, and shape a strategy suited to the larger case. The local connection was substantive—it helped us understand dimensions of the dispute that could otherwise have been overlooked.
We believe our combination of Hawaii roots, admissions in both states, and substantial California litigation experience places Tajima LLP in a particularly strong position to bring these matters to a successful resolution. We build the strategy around the client’s objectives, the evidence, and the practical economics of the dispute.
Every case is unique, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Guam & Asia Pacific Commercial Litigation · California Business Disputes with an Asia-Pacific Nexus · Business & Commercial Litigation · Discuss Your California Dispute