Credit: 1 CLE Ethics Credit

IMPORTANT! This is the registration for HSBA members NOT New Admittees and to return to the registration for New Admittees only, please go to the course list.

Since this is an updated program from before, you can claim CLE credit if purchasing it again.

NOTE: This recorded webcast expires in your HSBA CLE account on December 31, 2025, at midnight.

Moderator:

Judge Jill A. Otake, U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii
Jill A. Otake has served on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii since August 2018. After receiving her undergraduate degree in Russian Language from Georgetown University and her J.D. from the University of Washington, she practiced as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in King County Washington, and later as an Assistant United States Attorney in Seattle (9 years) and Honolulu (4 years). Judge Otake also clerked for the Honorable Simeon R. Acoba, Jr., Associate Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court, from 2001-2002.

Judge Otake was co-president of the Asian Bar Association of Washington, a volunteer attorney for Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii, and a mentor for Hawaii Women Lawyers. She was a Fellow of the 2016 Hawaii State Bar Association’s Leadership Institute and is currently a Co-Chair of the HSBA’s Professionalism Committee.

Speakers:

Judge M. Kanani Laubach, District Family Court of the Third Circuit (Island of Hawai’i)
M. Kanani Laubach was appointed by Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald as judge of the District Family Court of the Third Circuit (Island of Hawai’i) on August 10, 2016. She was later appointed as interim Deputy Chief Judge effective on June 1, 2019. As of June 26, 2020, Judge Laubach has been assigned as Deputy Chief Judge of the District Court of the Third Circuit. Judge Laubach currently serves on various committees which help to forward the mission of the Judiciary, as an independent branch of government, to administer justice in an impartial, efficient, and accessible manner in accordance with the law.

Prior to serving on the bench Judge Laubach worked as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the City and County of Honolulu as well as the County of Hawaii from 2003-2011. Judge Laubach entered private practice in 2011 handling cases involving criminal, family, and civil litigation/collection matters.

Judge Laubach graduated from the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law in 2003, and was admitted to the Hawaii State Bar the same year. She is also a graduate of Chaminade University of Hawaii where she received a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology in 2000.

Associate Judge Sonja M.P. McCullen, Intermediate Court of Appeals
Sonja M.P. McCullen was sworn in as an Associate Judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals on October 1, 2021.

Prior to being appointed to her current position, she served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the Appellate Division of the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, City and County of Honolulu, for a combined 11 years. She also worked as an investigator for the Crime Victim Compensation Commission, a staff attorney for the United Public Workers, and a judicial education specialist for the State of Hawai'i, Judiciary.

In addition, she clerked for the Honorable Paula A. Nakayama of the Hawai'i Supreme Court after earning a law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law.
Judge McCullen graduated from St. Joseph’s High School in Hilo and prior to her legal career, Judge McCullen taught at Wai'anae High School after earning her undergraduate degree and professional diploma from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.

Judge Kevin T. Morikone, Circuit Court Judge of the First Circuit

Judge Kevin T. Morikone serves as a Circuit Court Judge of the First Circuit and was sworn-in on December 16, 2021. He presides over civil matters and is also the presiding Land Court/Tax Appeal Court Judge. Prior to his appointment to the Circuit Court Bench, he served as a per diem and full-time District Family Court Judge for approximately six years.  

Judge Morikone was born and raised in Kaimuki and graduated from Kalani High School. Thereafter, he graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a B.A. in Political Science and a Certificate in Ethnic Studies. He graduated from the William S. Richardson School of Law in 2007 and served as a law clerk for the Honorable Eden Elizabeth Hifo (Ret.). After his clerkship and prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Morikone practiced in the area of civil litigation and was a partner at Hosoda & Morikone, LLC.

NO REFUNDS WILL BE GIVEN FOR ONLINE SEMINARS. 

ADA Accommodation: In Accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you require accommodation for a disability, please contact us by email at cle@hsba.org; or by phone at 792-7336 and ask for the CLE Department before purchasing the program. 

Questions? Please contact HSBA CLE Department at 792-7336 or CLE@hsba.org.