Paul Alston

Stockholder/Director

Phone: (808) 524-1800
Fax: (808) 524-4591
Direct: (808) 524-1888
Cell: (808) 722-6000

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"Why do people hire a particular lawyer? Out of love, fear or trust. Your mother may love you, your former opponents may fear you, but most clients decide based on trust. You earn that by doing, not talking." Paul Alston has built his career based upon earning clients' trust in a wide range of complicated disputes involving large damage claims. His practice focuses primarily on commercial litigation, antitrust/unfair competition law, civil rights, class actions, and appellate law. He has been named Hawai`i Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in America® three times: 2013 for Appellate Practice, 2012 for Real Estate Litigation, and 2009 for Bet-the-Company Litigation. In Chambers USA, a client describes Alston as "three steps ahead of everyone else." Benchmark Litigation identified Alston (and 6 other members of the firm) as among the litigation stars in Hawai`i.

Recent Representative Cases

• Led 15 online travel companies to victory in an appeal of an assessment of nearly $700 million in transient accommodations taxes by the State of Hawai`i Department oF Taxation. (2012)
• Successfully represented a franchisee in an arbitration over termination of an Asia-wide franchise. Won a ruling that the franchisor acted in bad faith and vindicated the franchisee's development rights. (2011)
• Won rulings holding the State of Hawai`i liable for over $70 million in back wages and interest to underpaid employees. (2011)
• Successfully defended the state's largest electric utility company against a $40 million breach of contract/misrepresentation claim involving a large biofuels project on Maui (2010-11).
• Won a defense verdict in a month-long federal securities fraud trial against investors seeking damages in excess of $500 million from one of the largest landowners in Hawai`i (2009).
• Won a defense decision after a trial involving million-dollar-plus damages resulting from alleged fraudulent transfers (2009).
• Defended a Kauai landowner against efforts by the County of Kauai to claim rights to a roadway across his beachfront property, which was worth over $25 million (2008).
• In the course of two years, obtained settlements and judgments worth over $50 million to clients (2009-2010).
• Won three appeals in the Hawai`i Supreme Court involving claims of (1) takings without compensation by the State of Hawai`i involving land worth over $60 million, (2) breach of contract claims involving over 15,000 teachers, and (3) denial of retirement benefits involving over 30,000 retirees. In each case, he successfully defended a favorable decision rendered by the trial court (2009-2010).

Practice Areas