HB20: Summer Shelverton, Cades Schutte
Summer Shelverton graduated third in her law school class while raising a newborn, and now leads trusts and estates at Hawai‘i's largest law firm.
Summer Shelverton says her job as a trusts and estates attorney is technical and precise, but fundamentally it’s about helping families today and for generations to come.
“My work helps families protect what they have built and pass it on in a thoughtful, sustainable way. In Hawaiʻi, where the cost of living is high and property is both precious and scarce, proper planning can be the difference between families being able to keep assets in the next generation or being forced to sell,” Shelverton says.
She’s a partner and the chair of the trusts and estates department at Cades Schutte, the state’s largest law firm, and chair of the firm’s summer associate committee, which is often a pipeline for future hires.
Shelverton says one common misconception about estate planning is that it’s only for the wealthy. “In reality, it is for anyone who cares about their family and wants clarity, stability and protection for the people they love.”
She was born in Key Largo, Florida, but raised in a small coastal town in North Carolina. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her law degree from UH’s William S. Richardson School of Law.
“My husband jokes that he dragged me here, but I truly love it. There is a price of paradise, but the culture, beauty and sense of community make it worth it. Hawaiʻi feels like home.”
She gives back to her adopted home in many ways, including as a board member at both Volunteer Legal Services Hawaiʻi, which provides free legal assistance to low-income people, and at Community Helping Schools, a nonprofit that supports local public schools with resources and volunteers.
“I am a mom, a bookworm and an attorney – in that order,” she says. In fact, asked what her proudest achievement is, she answers, “Without question, being a mom.”
Of course, motherhood is rarely easy. “I had my first child between my first and second semesters of law school. It was one of the most challenging periods of my life, balancing the demands of a newborn with the intensity of legal education,” she recalls.
Nonetheless, she graduated third in her class, with “the support of my family, classmates and the law school administration. That experience taught me resilience, humility and the importance of community.”
As a volunteer, she works on committees to improve Hawaiʻi’s trust and estate laws, she says, “so they better serve families and reflect modern needs.”
Fellow partner Rhonda Griswold, who previously led Cades Schutte’s trusts and estates division, lauds Shelverton’s leadership, community-driven vision and generous spirit.
“Summer approaches her clients, colleagues and problems with grace and diplomacy. I believe she embodies the spirit of service and collaboration,” Griswold says.
