William Meheula

Practice Areas

REAL ESTATE LITIGATION Real estate and business-related litigation are the firm’s main practice areas. We have represented or opposed

developers, landowners, hotel and resorts, private equity firms, lenders, investors/partners, lessors/lessees, brokers, managers, and associations.

The matters have involved purchase and sale agreements, LLC agreements, partner/investor/lender issues, entitlements, environmental issues,

historic property challenges, management agreements, and association and club issues. The venues include state and federal trial and appellate courts, state and county regulatory quasi-judicial bodies subject to HRS Chapter 91, state land use commission, county planning commissions, county permitting agencies and zoning boards of appeals, Department of Land & Natural Resources (DLNR) board, DLNR’s State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) and Island Burial Councils, Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA), Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) and Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

LEGAL MALPRACTICE Another primary practice area is legal malpractice and

ethics litigation. I have successfully prosecuted and defended over 100 legal malpractice cases. I also have served on committees that have

promulgated and amended the Hawaiʻi Rules of Professional Conduct (HRPC).

NATIVE HAWAIIAN RIGHTS

My Native Hawaiian Rights practice started in 1992 when hI served as lead counsel, pro bono, representing beneficiaries of the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust against the State of Hawaii. This litigation resulted in a $600 million settlement payable to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. The Hawaii State Bar Association awarded me the “Justice Award” in 1994 for my work on this case. Since then, I have been involved as counsel and as a community leader in litigation and legislation to stop the State from selling ceded lands in 2009, to obtain Kakaako Makai for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in 2012 and to allow the Native Hawaiian Convention (Aha) to develop a constitution in 2016. I also specialize in practice involving the State Historic

Preservation Division.

Career

1978-79 Law Clerk for Chief Justice William S. Richardson

1979-80 Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, City & County of Honolulu

1980-89 Associate then Partner, Carlsmith Carlsmith Wichman & Case

1989-2013 Partner, Winer, Meheula & Devens

2013-2022 Partner, Sullivan Meheula Lee LLLP

2022-present Manager-Member, Meheula Law, LLLC

Clients

Allied Universal

Blacksand Capital

Blackstone BRE Hotels & Resorts

Forum Partners

Hawaii Gas

Highgate Hotels, LP

MSD Capital

Nan, Inc.

Pacmar Technologies

Stanford Carr Development, LLC

Education