HOSPITALITY & RETAIL

AHFI attorneys have extensive experience working with clients involved in the hospitality and retail industries. We have experience working with hotels, resorts and time share operations. We also have experience working with restaurants, golf courses, retailers, tour companies, and entertainment companies.

Because of our location in the Pacific, our clients include companies from Hawai`i, the U.S. Mainland, Canada, Asia, Micronesia and Europe. We have represented developers, owners, management companies, operators, and subcontractors, and individual entrepreneurs.

Some of the services we provide to clients in this industry include:

Environmental & Cultural Resources

• Assisting clients with zoning, general and development plans, variances, zoning adjustments, special permits and represent clients before County Planning Commissions, County Councils, Zoning Boards of Appeals and Building Board of Appeals
• Advising clients on compliance with federal Coastal Zone Management Act, shoreline development issues and related state laws (Hawai`i Coastal Zone Management Act, Hawai`i Revised Statutes Chapter 205A)
• Environmental impact statements and assessments
• Representing clients, Native Hawaiian organizations, and governmental agencies in disputes involving cultural resources and Native Hawaiian rights
• Advising clients on compliance with and claims under state burial laws, Hawai`i Revised Statutes, Chapter 6E
• Air and water pollution, solid and hazardous waste management
• Water rights

Government Affairs & Public Interest

• General consulting in government relations
• Legal analysis of legislative and government relations strategies
• Drafting Bills and written testimony
• Direct lobbying on behalf of clients with respect to legislative matters and the promulgation of administrative rules

Labor & Employment

• Employment litigation including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims
• Union organizing, collective bargaining negotiations, grievances, arbitration, and proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board
• Compensation and benefits
• Taft-Hartley Trust Funds/ERISA
• Handbooks, personnel policies, employment contracts and independent contractor agreements
• Government contracting issues including affirmative action programs
• Restructuring including reduction in force, job restructuring and employment issues in acquisitions, mergers, sales
• Safety and health issues including OSHA compliance, drug testing programs, and workplace violence programs
• Proprietary rights and non-compete agreements
• Workplace privacy
• Immigration

Business & Personal Injury Litigation

• Admiralty and maritime litigation
• Americans with Disabilities Act litigation under Title II and Title III
• Antitrust and unfair trade practices
• Business Torts including commercial defamation and trade libel, franchise disputes, fraud and negligent misrepresentation, and injuries to business reputation
• Construction disputes
• Commercial contract disputes
• Insurance coverage and bad faith claims
• Non-compete agreements and intellectual property disputes
• Personal injury litigation
• Real property disputes including commercial lease disputes

Property & Business Transactions

• Acquisition and disposition of hotels, shopping centers, office buildings, raw land, industrial properties, warehouses
• Real property exchange transactions
• Development and construction of commercial properties
• Commercial real estate loans (i.e., negotiating and drafting loan transactions) and “workouts”
• Foreclosures
• Long term ground leases and tenants relations
• Leasing and tenant relations (office building, shopping center and other commercial and multi-unit residential properties)
• Developing strategies to minimize losses due to tenant default, e.g., tenant screening options.
• Intellectual property issues including protection of confidential and proprietary information, trade secrets, privileges, and obtaining remedies for confidentiality breaches
• Entity formation, operations and termination
• Partnership disputes