William A. Harrison

William A. Harrison is a partner at the law firm of Harrison & Matsuoka in Honolulu, Hawaii. He understands that being arrested or charged with a crime is serious business and can upset a person’s future and reputation indefinitely. He has spent more than four decades in the courtrooms of Hawaii aggressively representing the rights of his clients who are accused of federal and state criminal offenses.

Mr. Harrison guides his clients through each stage of the legal process and goes the extra mile to thoroughly investigate the case and mount the most comprehensive defense strategy. He aids in all areas of criminal law including white collar offenses, cybercrimes, fraud, federal gun charges, assault and battery, murder, sexual offenses, drug trafficking, money laundering, racketeering, vehicular homicides and theft. 

A 1977 B.A. graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Mr. Harrison obtained his master’s degree from the same university in 1981. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, William S. Richardson School of Law and became licensed to practice in the state and federal courts of Hawaii in 1981. Additionally, he is licensed to appear in New Jersey, the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

As a result of his high ethical standards and exceptional legal ability, Mr. Harrison was rated AV Preeminent* by Martindale-Hubbell and also listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Registry of Preeminent Lawyers for multiple years. He was selected for inclusion in Who's Who in American Law and Hawaii’s Best Lawyers by Honolulu Magazine. Furthermore, he was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for several years in a row.

A lifetime member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Mr. Harrison also holds active memberships in the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Hawaii State Bar Association, the Hawaii Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the American Association for Justice, the American Bar Association, the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, the American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics, and the Christian Legal Society. He served among the executive committee of Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity, Richardson Inn.

Mr. Harrison volunteers a part of his time to offer pro bono legal services. He founded the Afro-American Lawyers Association of Hawaii and was the former legal redress officer of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) – Hawaii Chapter. Committed to ending domestic violence, he functioned as the president of the board of the Domestic Violence Clearinghouse and Legal Hotline. He has also made many media appearances as a legal television commentator.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.