Alan is a preeminent practitioner of insurance law and litigation. He counsels his clients on their insurance issues, then if the insurer wrongfully denies claims he files suit against the insurer. He is aware of the costs of litigation, and is careful to counsel clients on those costs, but he is not at all reluctant to conduct full litigation against insurers, whether they are represented by law firms on the mainland or here in Hawaii. Alan regularly represents individual and commercial policyholders, has twice served as a Special Deputy Attorney General to represent the State of Hawaii in multimillion dollar coverage cases, and has recovered many millions of dollars for his clients, both in insurance coverage and in bad faith cases.

His record includes serving, at the Law School’s request, as Adjunct Professor (Advanced Torts/Insurance Law) at the University of Hawaii’s School of Law in 1993 and 1994. He frequently speaks, writes, and teaches on the subject of Hawaii Insurance Law; he has co-written the materials for, and been a panel presenter on, more than fifty (50) insurance coverage and bad faith seminars. Attendees at the seminars are other attorneys and insurance professionals. Because his teachings contribute significantly to establishing the standard of practice of insurance claims handling in the State of Hawaii, he has been retained several times as an expert witness on that standard for both insureds and insurers.

Alan co-founded the Insurance Coverage Litigation Section of the HSBA in 2006, was its first chairperson, and is currently again its chair. He has served as Vice-Chair of the Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee (ICLC) of the Tort & Insurance Practice Section of the ABA and as Program Chair for ICLC’s Annual Meeting, composed of insurance coverage litigators across the country. He is the only policyholder counsel in Hawaii who is a Fellow of, and a panelist at the national meetings of, the American College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel (ACCEC).

Alan also serves his profession. He is a past President of the Hawaii State Bar Association. He was the Hawaii State Representative to the American Bar Association House of Delegates for nine years, where he was a member of that body’s Nominating Committee. He served a 3-year term serving as one of the 15 members, nationally, of the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, which evaluates proposed federal court nominees for the White House.

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, possessing the highest (“AV”) rating by Martindale Hubbell, and chosen as a national Superlawyer in Insurance Coverage Litigation, Alan’s practice emphasizes insurance coverage law and litigation, representing primarily policyholders in insurance coverage and insurance bad faith cases, although he also litigates commercial torts on behalf of both corporate plaintiffs and corporate defendants.

Alan regularly represents individual and commercial policyholders, has also represented the State of Hawaii, and has recovered many millions of dollars for his clients, both in insurance coverage and in bad faith cases.