Hawaii Office

Clay Chapman
Iwamura Pulice & Nervell

700 Bishop Street
Suite 2100
Honolulu, HI 96813
Tel (808) 535-8400
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Amber D. Garcia

Amber D. Veitenheimer Garcia practices in the area of real estate law, concentrating on non judicial foreclosures.

Ms. Garcia received her Bachelors of Science from Midwestern State University in 2000. She received her law degree from Texas Wesleyan School of Law in December 2005 and was admitted to the Texas Bar in 2006 and the Hawaii bar in 2007. Ms Garcia practiced Criminal Defense and Family law in Texas from 2006-2008 before moving to Hawaii.

Ms. Garcia is an active member of both the Texas Bar Association and the Hawaii Bar Association.

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Bruce G. Jackson

Of Counsel
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Bruce G. Jackson is the lead attorney for the Estate Planning and Business Planning practice groups for our firm, and is also senior real estate attorney. He has acted as supervising attorney for thousands of individual and charitable revocable and irrevocable estate plans, and is an experienced advisor for commercial transactions and entity (corporate, limited partnership and limited liability company) formations, acquisitions and dispositions. Mr. Jackson has more than 30 years of commercial and residential real estate experience, emphasizing commercial mortgage loan and development documentation, as well as residential and commercial real estate conveyancing.

Mr. Jackson is a graduate of the Boalt Hall School of Law of the University of California (Berkeley), and has been practicing in Hawaii since 1971, for many years as senior partner of his own firm. He is active in the Hawaii State Bar Association, serving as a Director and Chair (1995) of the Real Property and Financial Services Section, and as a member of the Taxation, Business Law and Estate and Gift Tax Sections; as well as in the American Bar Association (the Real Property and Probate, Banking and Commercial Law, and Law Practice Management Sections). He is a long-standing member of the Hawaii Estate Planning Council, has continuously served as a performance and ethics reviewer for the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, and his biography appears in Who's Who in American Law, Best Lawyers in America (Consumer Edition), Who's Who in Practicing Attorneys, Who’s Who in Real Estate in America, and Who's Who in the World.

Mr. Jackson and his expert staff welcome the opportunity to discuss and resolve your estate planning, business planning and real estate law questions and needs.

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Christian Fenton

Christian Fenton concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate law and residential foreclosures.

Mr. Fenton received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz and his law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law.  He was admitted to the Hawaii Bar in 2007.

Mr. Fenton is an active member of the Hawaii State Bar Association.

Foreign Language: Spanish

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Elise O. Thorn

Associate
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Elise Thorn concentrates her practice in the areas of civil litigation, including complex and commercial litigation and intellectual property law. In the area of intellectual property, Elise assists clients with the prosecution of trademark applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, trademark counseling and licensing, copyright registration, counseling and licensing and infringement litigation in both federal and state courts. Elise is associated with international IP law firms and agencies, providing interested clients with intellectual property resources in most countries.

Elise was admitted to the California Bar and the Hawaii Bar in 1990. She graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and received her law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, in 1989.

Elise is a member of the Hawaii State Bar Association.

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Emily A. Gardner

Associate
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Emily A. Gardner focuses her practice in the areas of civil litigation and complex litigation, with special emphasis in the areas of environmental, maritime and animal law.

 In addition to her law degree, Emily holds a Master of Science Degree in Zoology, as well as certificates of specialization in Environmental Law and Ocean Policy.

She has worked in Hawaii State Government as well as serving as a consultant to several private companies, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations on projects involving the environment and marine living resources.

 More recently, Emily has become a pioneer in the rapidly evolving area of animal law, and regularly undertakes matters and situations in which the legal status, biology or behavior of animals is an important factor.  Emily handles matters involving pets, livestock and wildlife.  Examples of matters Emily regularly undertakes include: serious dog bites and animal attacks, condominium/landlord tenant issues, service animal issues, developing estate plans to include animals (e.g., pet trusts), consumer products and service issues, and disputes concerning animal ownership.

 Emily is a member of the Hawaii State Bar and is licensed to practice before all courts in the State of Hawaii.  She is a member of the American Bar Association Animal Law Committee and the American Veterinary Medical Law Association and is also a trained mediator.

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Gordon M. Arakaki

Associate
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Gordon M. Arakaki brings a wealth of public and private sector experience to Clay Chapman Iwamura Pulice & Nervell, focusing his practice on government affairs as well as the development and management of condominium projects.  Gordon helps clients navigate the complex law-making processes of the State Legislature¹ and county councils.  He also represents people developing condominium projects and counsels condominium, cooperative, and other types of homeowner associations. 

Gordon joined the firm in 2009 after serving his second stint as the Chief of Staff of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means (i.e., the Senate committee responsible for crafting the State’s budget and accounting for all measures with fiscal impacts).  He has also served as Staff Attorney/Committee Clerk for the Senate Committee on Education and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Information Technology.

In the condominium world, Gordon was the Hawaii Real Estate Commission’s Condominium Law Recodification Project Attorney.  As such, he was the primary author of the Commission’s final report to the Legislature on the recodification of Hawaii’s condominium property regimes law, which the Legislature stated should be used as an aid in understanding and interpreting the new law (Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 514B).  Gordon received the 2004 “Public Advocate of the Year” award from the Community Associations Institute—Hawaii Chapter for “helping craft and advance the next generation of the Hawaii Condominium Property Act.”  Gordon has lectured and written extensively on the recodification of Hawaii’s condominium law.  He has also lectured and written on a number of land use topics.

Gordon has also worked in various capacities for the Lt. Governor, Honolulu City Council, Hawaii Visitors Bureau, Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii, and Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.

A 1984 graduate of the William S. Richardson School of Law, Gordon received his Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Pomona College in 1980.  He has been a member of the Hawaii State Bar Association since 1984.

¹Hawaii State law does not allow Gordon to represent clients before the State Senate until December 16, 2009.

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Hillery A.K.L. Parker

Associate

Hillery Parker concentrates her practice in the areas of real estate law, commercial and residential foreclosures and commercial and residential real estate transactions.

Ms. Parker received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College in 1987. She received her law degree from Boston College Law School in 1990 and was admitted to the California Bar in 1990 and the Hawaii Bar in 1991.  Ms. Parker was VP/Counsel for Old Republic Title and Escrow of Hawaii from 1994 to 2000.

Ms. Parker is an inactive member of the California Bar Association and an active member of the Hawaii State Bar Association.

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Mary Martin

Associate
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Ms. Martin is a senior associate for the Honolulu law firm of Clay Chapman Iwamura Pulice & Nervell, a law corporation, where her major emphasis is in civil and probate litigation and appellate practice, primarily involving commercial disputes, mortgage loans, and real estate matters. She is experienced in handling claims in State and Federal courts regarding all types of civil matters. Ms. Martin is also experienced in contested mortgage foreclosures, and probate estate administration. She is a former law clerk to retired Chief Justice Herman T.F. Lum at the Hawaii Supreme Court. Ms. Martin received her B.A. degree from Miami University (Ohio) and her J.D. degree from the John Marshall Law School. She is a member of the Hawaii State Bar Association, and is licensed to practice with the 9th Circuit Court of appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.

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Reginald K.T. Yee

Associate
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Reginald K.T. Yee concentrates his law practice in the area of collections, commercial litigation and bankruptcy matters.

Mr. Yee served as a Deputy Attorney General, State of Hawaii (“DAG”) assigned to the Tort Litigation Division for a period of approximately five years before joining Clay Chapman Iwamura Pulice & Nervell in February 2009. Prior to that, he was a Senior Trial Attorney for American International Group, Inc. Staff Counsel’s office located in Honolulu for three and a half years defending AIG insureds primarily on automobile lawsuits. He has tried two civil jury trials to verdict as an AIG Staff Counsel. He also worked as a Senior Trial Attorney and Deputy Public Defender for the State of Hawaii, Office of the Public Defender for approximately 17 years handling 50 felony jury trials. He has also handled workers compensation cases for employer/carriers both in private practice and the State, in separate capacities, in Special Compensation Fund cases, again as a DAG. He has also handled family law cases in a general practice initially out of law school. He passed the Hawaii State Bar in 1978 and is a graduate of the William S. Richardson School of Law in that same year.

Mr. Yee has served as treasurer (2008/2009) with the Hawaii State Bar Association, Government Lawyers Section (“GLS”) and prior to that served as a Board of Director (2006/2007), again with the GLS. He has also served as a co-Vice Chair of the American Bar Association, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, Committees for Trial Techniques (2004 to 2009) and Automobile Law (2008/2009). He has co-authored an article for the Automobile Law Committee on the “The Black Box” in Spring, 2008. He has also served as a CAAP arbitrator in Honolulu.

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Robert M. Ehrhorn

Associate
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Robert Ehrhorn concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate law, commercial and residential foreclosures, banking and financial services, lender liability defense and civil litigation.

Robert was admitted to the Hawaii Bar in 1970 after graduating from The Citadel with a Bachelor of Arts and receiving his law degree from University of South Carolina in 1966. Robert was also admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 1966, the U. S. Court of Military Appeals in 1970 and the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972.

Robert is a member of the Hawaii State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Robert was a member of Phi Alpha Delta in law school and served on the Editorial Board of the South Carolina Law Review. Robert was a Captain, JAGC, in the U. S. Army and was honorably discharged in 1970. Robert served as a Deputy Corporation Counsel of the City and County of Honolulu from 1970 to 1973.

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Scott I. Batterman

Associate
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Scott I. Batterman has been an active trial attorney and litigator for over 20 years, since his admission to the bar in New York in 1981. He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received his law degree (summa cum laude) from New York Law School.

He has been practicing in Hawaii since 1989, and is currently admitted to practice in Hawaii, New York, and before the United States Supreme Court, the U. S. Courts of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Ninth Circuit, and U.S. District Courts for the District of Hawaii, District of Connecticut and Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

He has wide experience practicing in both federal and state court, and before various arbitral tribunals, and in advising clients, in the areas of anti-trust law, complex bankruptcy disputes, construction law (including the Americans with Disabilities Act), contracts and commercial law, employment discrimination, environmental law, fraud and RICO claims, insurance coverage, products liability, property and landlord/tenant disputes, securities fraud claims, and trade secrets.