Top Attorneys 2026
Hawaii Business Magazine is proud to present Top Attorneys for Business 2026, recognizing the top attorneys making an impact in Hawai‘i’s business community.
Bruce D. Voss
Lung Rose Voss & Wagnild
Undergraduate: Pacific Lutheran University
Law School: UH Mānoa
Bruce Voss is a business litigation partner at the firm with over 30 years of experience concentrating in real estate and land use litigation, complex business disputes, and employment law. Voss brings a unique background to his practice. Before law school, he worked as a business newspaper and television news reporter in Hawai‘i.
What led you to focus your career in business law? “Back in the day, I was a business news reporter and I’d go down to court to look through business files for stories. In doing that, I realized that the skills are the same. You take complicated issues, legal issues, factual issues, and you have to simplify them for the client and then you have to communicate them in a compelling way.”
What’s a lesson you’ve learned in your career that still guides your work today? “No matter how good an attorney you are, you will win some cases and you’ll lose some cases. You can’t get too excited when you win and you can’t get too down when you lose. What you have to do in every case is learn something. As long as you keep learning, win or lose, you’re moving forward.”
Anna Elento-Sneed
ES&A, Inc., A Law Corporation
Undergraduate: Claremont College
Law School: UC Berkeley
Anna Elento-Sneed specializes in labor and employment law, government contracts and business strategy. She represents clients in matters involving labor disputes, wrongful termination, discrimination, wage and hour issues, employee benefits and collective bargaining, as well as employment issues in corporate transactions and organizational change. Her practice also includes government contracting compliance, education law, workplace policies and human resources system design.
What led you to focus your career in business law? “I actually started out my career as a labor and employment lawyer. I am still a labor and employment lawyer, but in order to be a good labor and employment lawyer, you have to understand the client’s business and the industry they work in. So, I learned from all the clients about all the different businesses, all the different industries.”
What’s a lesson you’ve learned in your career that still guides your work today? “I would say to accept the fact that change is constant. The world changes, the economy changes and then people have to adapt. If you want to go beyond a few years, you have to keep track of all the changes that are happening in your industry, your area, and figure out how you’re going to adapt.”
Bennett J. Chin
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP
Undergraduate: UC Berkeley
Law School: Santa Clara University
Bennett Chin is the Managing Partner of the firm’s office in Honolulu, with over 30 years of experience representing architects and engineers. His practice focuses on construction defects, delays, professional negligence, and contract disputes. He has worked on a wide range of projects, including airports, hospitals, commercial high-rises, and government buildings.
What led you to focus your career in business law? “My job as a defense attorney is to do whatever I can to defend my client in whatever claim that has been asserted against them. So in that respect, I represent businesses and organizations and how they conduct their business, and that’s what led me here.”
What’s a lesson you’ve learned in your career that still guides your work today? “The lesson that I’ve learned is you need to learn from everything. Realistically I’ve learned more things when I wasn’t trying to than when I took a class. Just being able to listen and pay attention because every experience is an opportunity to learn.”
Zach Dilonno
Candela Law Group LLLC
Undergraduate: Johns Hopkins University
Law School: UH Mānoa
Zach Dilonno supports entrepreneurs and small businesses with entity formation, commercial contracts, and strategic legal guidance, helping clients minimize risk and build strong foundations from the earliest stages of business development. He is especially focused on making legal services accessible and practical for Hawai‘i’s small business community. Before practicing law, he was a special education teacher in Ewa Beach through Teach For America and earned a Master’s in Special Education from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
What led you to focus your career in business law? “I grew up around a family-run restaurant, so I saw early on what it takes to build a small business in Hawai‘i where most of all the businesses are small businesses. When I was working for a bigger litigation firm, I noticed that a lot of the small business clients that were coming to us in that small business community and they couldn’t afford my services. I wanted to serve specifically that small business startup demographic. So being able to support that ecosystem felt like the best way to have an impact in terms of helping the community.”
What’s a lesson you’ve learned in your career that still guides your work today? “Most problems aren’t complicated, they’re just things that weren’t addressed early enough. In Hawai‘i, margins are tight and costs are high, so small issues are easy to miss because a lot of small business owners just try to do things themselves because they can’t afford attorneys. I tell clients to slow things down at the front end, make sure the foundation is solid, and then build in as they move forward.”
Andrea K. Ushijima
Cades Schutte LLP
Undergraduate: University of Washington
Law School: UH Mānoa
Andrea Ushijima combines a background in business, technology, and regulatory matters to support clients in finance and real estate. She represents financial institutions in commercial lending, advises on consumer finance compliance, and handles commercial real estate transactions and leasing in Hawai‘i. Before joining Cades Schutte, she worked in the tech sector as an IT analyst and project manager.
What led you to focus your career in business law? “Before I went to law school, I had 10 years of experience working for both large Fortune 100 companies as well as small start-up companies here in Hawai‘i. So, having that background was helpful in informing where I ended up in private practice because it was kind of already a comfort area for me.”
What’s a lesson you’ve learned in your career that still guides your work today? “One thing that I like about business law and that I’ve just learned in my practice is that you still have to approach every issue with a lot of thoughtfulness, just as you would in any other occupation. When clients decide to hire an attorney, they’re coming to you because they need some guidance or assistance in that area, so just really thinking through and asking the right questions to the client to better understand what is the need for whatever legal services are being provided.”
Christopher T. Goodin
Cades Schutte LLP
Undergraduate: UH Mānoa
Law School: UH Mānoa
Christopher Goodin is a partner at Cades Schutte focusing on commercial and real property litigation, insurance coverage, and professional liability. He serves as Chair of the Real Estate Disputes Group and Vice Chair of the Litigation Department. A cum laude graduate of the University of Hawai‘i’s Richardson School of Law, he has argued before the Hawai‘i Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit, clerked for state and federal judges, and previously chaired the Hawai‘i State Bar Association’s Appellate Section.
What led you to focus your career in business law? “Starting out like in college, I majored in marketing. The class that piqued my interest the most was business law and it ended up being my favorite class. From that point, I just decided that I wanted to go to law school; it just kind of felt like a natural focus.”
What’s a lesson you’ve learned in your career that still guides your work today? “I say it has to be that you have to connect with people. Having good relationships is really important and makes the job worth doing.”
Dale E. Zane
Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel LLP
Undergraduate: Colgate University
Law School: Cornell University
Dale Zane advises clients on commercial leasing across retail, office, and industrial sectors, as well as shopping center and resort development, including acquisitions, sales, and financing. He also focuses on hospitality projects, offering guidance on development, planning, and operations. Outside the office, he supports education and entrepreneurship through participation with Variety School of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Angels, and Hawai‘i First Robotics.
What led you to focus your career in business law? “I’ve always liked being able to see tangible results of my efforts, such as seeing a new building or shopping center or retail store. I also liked to get involved in clients’ planning and helping them to grow their businesses.”
What’s a lesson you’ve learned in your career that still guides your work today? “I’d say it’s to be an exceptional listener. To be an effective advisor or advocate for your client, you really need to hear their concerns or objectives, so that you can properly advise them and give them your best advice and recommendations.”
Joseph A. Dane
Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel LLP
Undergraduate: UC Irvine
Law School: UH Mānoa
Joseph Dane is a versatile attorney who advises businesses and nonprofit organizations on tax, entity formation and corporate governance, secured financing, intellectual property, and commercial contracting matters. His real estate practice includes property transactions, commercial and agricultural leases, and real property tax appeals.
What led you to focus your career in business law? “I enjoy the opportunities for collaboration afforded by a business law practice. Whether working with a client’s legal or operational staff on an internal project, or with attorneys representing transactional counterparties, I find the open exchange of ideas to be personally enjoyable and to lead to better results for my clients. I also appreciate that a business law practice, in Hawai‘i at least, exposes one to a broad range of legal topics, which provides opportunities for continued learning and growth.”
What’s a lesson you’ve learned in your career that still guides your work today? “I learned early in my career that the details matter, although it might be more accurate to say that since you can’t know in advance which details are going to matter, you’d better pay attention to all of them.”
Randall C. Whattoff
Cox Fricke LLP
Undergraduate: UC Berkeley
Law School: Cornell University
Randall Whattoff is a commercial litigator who represents businesses of all types in complex disputes. His practice encompasses all areas that impact Hawai‘i businesses, from class actions, to contract disputes, to bet-the-company litigation. He has represented some of Hawai‘i’s largest businesses in their most significant legal disputes, including defending Hawaiian Electric Company and its affiliates in the claims generated by the 2023 Maui wildfires, defending military housing providers from claims related to Red Hill, and representing Hawaiian Host Group from an attempted takeover during the pandemic.
What led you to focus your career in business law? “I find practicing business law to be incredibly rewarding because it involves constantly learning about new industries and enterprises. One of the keys to being a successful litigator is understanding your clients’ business; what challenges it faces, what makes it successful, and what its plans are for the future. This means that we are always learning, and I love that every new case is an opportunity to take a deep dive into a new area.”
What’s a lesson you’ve learned in your career that still guides your work today? “To be a successful business litigator, you have to be ready to take a case to trial. While the vast majority of our cases settle before a jury is ever selected, the way to maximize your client’s settlement position is by putting them in the best position to succeed if settlement negotiations don’t work. That means being prepared, being creative, and always having a clear strategy for success in court.”
Harvey J. Lung
Lung Rose Voss & Wagnild
Undergraduate: University of Washington
Law School: University of California College of the Law, San Francisco
Harvey Lung has concentrated in the field for more than 40 years. He has represented various types of construction industry participants—owners, developers, lenders, design professionals, general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, sureties, and insurers—across the full spectrum of construction law, including contract disputes, defect claims, delay and productivity claims, professional negligence, and payment disputes.
What led you to focus your career in business law? “Initially, I didn’t have a particular focus on any type of law. I came out of law school wanting to do litigation and be a trial lawyer. Early on, I had the chance to work primarily in real estate and construction law and litigation, which I found very challenging and rewarding. I’ve learned that people in the real estate and construction industry and the business world in general are great people to work with; they are smart, ambitious, and often want to do the right thing for their businesses, families, and Hawai‘i. Working with such clients has been very rewarding, and if we can help them improve, it’s even better.”
What’s a lesson you’ve learned in your career that still guides your work today? “These are lessons that I’ve learned over time and it’s over 40 years that I’ve been practicing. First, do your best and always strive for the best work possible. Second, find what motivates you; for me it was a fear of failure. Third, be flexible and always have backup plans. Fourth, don’t get complacent and always want to improve. Finally, surround yourself with excellence.”
