HSBA Family Law Section 2026 Divorce Law Update

Please note that registration is closed, you may register online, thank you!

Please Note: The Hawaii Divorce Manual has been completely updated with the release of the 50th anniversary 10th edition of the Manual in November 2025. The Manual now includes digests of all cases and statutes through August 31, 2025. The materials for this seminar will supplement Divorce Cases and Divorce Statutes sections in the Manual. Otherwise, there will be no 2026 Manual Supplement. There will be a Supplement in 2027.

Date/time:

Friday, November 13, 2026, 12:15pm-1:15pm

Location:

In Person:

HSBA Conference Room

1100 Alakea Street, Suite 1000 (tenth floor)

Honolulu, HI 96813

Or

Live Webcast

For HSBA members and Non-HSBA Members via your HSBA Account, "My Learning"

For Non-HSBA Member Family Law Mediators and Law Students via link

CLE Credits:

1 CLE Credit

Pricing: (Please see how to Register below)

*$45 for HSBA Members: Live in Person or Live Webcast 

**$55 for Non-HSBA Member Family Law Mediators: Live in Person 

**$0 for Non-HSBA Member Family Law Mediators: Live Webcast 

**$55 for All Other Non-HSBA Members: Live in Person or Live Webcast

***$0 for Law Students with HSBA Law Student Card: Live in Person or Live Webcast

Parking:

Our Alakea Tower building has limited guest parking (validation is not provided); however convenient and affordable parking is available at Ali’i Place or other municipal parking garages in the downtown area.

Materials: Materials will be emailed to you later towards the event.

Cancellation/Refunds: Cancellation requests must be received (in writing to cle@hsba.org or mail) by Friday, November 6, 2026, for a full refund. There will be no refunds for No-Shows.

Summary:

This 2026 Divorce Law Update Program (DLUP 26) will take a look at last year's most interesting cases, and statutes, affecting divorcing spouses in Hawaii, of which there have been an unusually large number. It will also offer an updated overview of the current law in Hawaii regarding custody, property division, child support, and alimony. All DLUP 26 registrants will receive a collection of useful resource materials including digests of all new cases and statutes. DLUP 26 has been specifically designed to be of benefit to all professionals assisting divorcing spouses and their children, regardless of their level of experience.

The Hawaii Divorce Manual has been completely updated with the release of the 50th anniversary 10th edition of the Manual in November 2025. The Manual now includes digests of all cases and statutes through August 31, 2025. The materials for this seminar will supplement Divorce Cases and Divorce Statutes sections in the Manual. Otherwise, there will be no 2026 Manual Supplement. There will be a Supplement in 2027.

The FLS 2026 Annual Divorce Law Update Program ("DLUP 26") will take place at the HSBA conference facilities on Friday, November 13, 2026, from 12:15 PM until 1:15 PM. Participation is either in person (seating is limited) or by Zoom.

Those who attend in person are invited to stay on for a "Divorce Property Division - The Hottest Topics" discussion starting at 1:15 PM.

The handout materials for DLUP 26 include, among other things, the following essays on how divorce property division law has evolved over nearly seven (7) decades on what are now the three (3) hottest property division topics.

• "During Marriage Conduct and Divorce Property Division" 

• "Marital Separate Property and Capital Contribution Credits" 

• "Division of Retirement Pensions in Divorce"

The family lawyer who participates in DLUP 26 will learn all the law they need to know:  

1. When the client insists that they should be economically rewarded for every one of their "good deeds" done during the marriage.

2. When the client insists that their spouse should be economically punished for every one of their "bad acts" committed during the marriage. 

3. When the client wants to protect all of the assets which they had when they got married, all of the assets which they received by gift or inheritance during the marriage, and all that was acquired by them. 

4. When, alternatively, the client seeks a division of all of the assets which their spouse had when the couple married, all of the assets which their spouse received by gift or inheritance during the marriage, and all that was acquired by them. 

5. When the client is presumptively entitled to half of the retirement pension benefits accrued by their spouse during the marriage, and their spouse has not yet retired. 

DLUP 26 will also cover the record number thirty (30) new divorce-relevant appellate determinations since September 1, 2025, which include four (4) published opinions, and two (2) ICA determinations which are now under review by the Supreme Court, and two (2) new statutes. 

DLUP 26 will also offer a brief global overview of the current divorce law in Hawaii given all the new cases and statutes.

For this reason, DLUP 26 really is a "can't miss" event.

Speaker:

William C. (Bill) Darrah, The Law Offices of William C. Darrah

William C. "Bill" Darrah has been a family lawyer in Hawaii for more than 50 years.

For the first 43 of them, Bill represented divorcing spouses in all walks of life, and he learned how to use mediation to get better quicker outcomes for his clients.

Now retired from matrimonial litigation practice, Bill is a domestic mediator for the Mediation Center of the Pacific, the First Circuit Family Court Volunteer Settlement Master Program, and the Hawaii Appellate Mediation Program.

For over 30 years Bill has been the editor, and now co-editor, of the Hawaii Divorce Manual, and for over 25 years he has co-presented Divorce Law in Hawaii, the free monthly public education program sponsored by the Judiciary.

Each Fall, on behalf of the FLS, Bill gives an update on the newest appellate cases, and the newest statutes, affecting divorce practice in Hawaii.

Bill is the first Best Lawyers in America Hawaii Family Lawyer of the Year, a certified fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and a three-time former chairperson of the HSBA's Family Law Section.

Register:

*HSBA Members: "Log In" (do not create a new account) to register online with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover.

*HSBA Members paying by check or prefer to use the form: Please download paper registration and submit to the HSBA to register. Form of payment must be received with registration to process.

**Non-HSBA Member Family Law Mediators and All Other Non-HSBA Members: Please download paper registration and submit to the HSBA to register.

***Law Students: You must have an HSBA student card; or if not, you may obtain one by going to HSBA Bar Card | HSBA Please download paper registration and submit to the HSBA to register.

ADA Accommodation: In Accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you require accommodation for a disability, by Friday, October 30, 2026, please contact us by email at cle@hsba.org; or by phone at 537-1868 and ask for the CLE Department before purchasing the program.

Questions? Please contact HSBA CLE Department at 537-1868 or CLE@hsba.org.