William C. Darrah
Attorney Profile
Top Rated Family Law Attorney in Honolulu, HI
Honolulu, HI 96813
- Family Law
William C. Darrah represents divorcing clients throughout the State of Hawaii. Mr. Darrah specializes in assisting clients with large asset estates and complex financial issues. Mr. Darrah's clients have typically included business owners, investors, entrepreneurs, doctors, attorneys, professors, other professionals, athletes, entertainers, celebrities, public figures, successfully retired people, and their spouses, among others. Mr. Darrah has held Martindale Hubbell's "AV" highest attorney rating since 1989. Mr. Darrah is Best Lawyers in America’s first Hawaii Family Lawyer of the Year, as selected by his colleagues in Best Lawyers in America. Mr. Darrah has been a designee in Best Lawyers in America since 1989. Mr. Darrah is a certified fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Mr. Darrah has been a fellow in the AAML since 1985. Mr. Darrah is a certified AAML arbitrator. Mr. Darrah is a trained mediator, and he instructs the divorce mediators at the Mediation Center of the Pacific. Mr. Darrah has been a "Hawaii A+ Lawyer" since 1993. Mr. Darrah has been designated a "Hawaii Super Lawyer" since 2008. Mr. Darrah has been involved in a number of important Hawaii divorce appeals and landmark cases" involving complex divorce property division, child support, alimony and tax issues. As the editor of the Hawaii Divorce Manual and the Journal of Hawaii Family Law, and the co-presenter of the monthly Divorce Law in Hawaii public education program, Mr. Darrah is Hawaii’s leading divorce educator. As the president of the Collaborative Divorce Hawaii Practice Group, Mr. Darrah is a leader in the collaborative divorce practice movement in Hawaii. In his collaborative divorce engagements, Mr. Darrah and other skilled and experienced family law attorneys who are trained in the collaborative discipline represent spouses in high asset/financially complex divorces with the understanding that if settlement is not reached, new attorneys must be obtained. In this fashion, lawyers are problem solvers, not adversaries, customized solutions "expand the pie", fees and costs are contained, things go more quickly, and the ability of divorcing spouses to cooperate and co-parent after divorce is remarkably enhanced. Mr. Darrah has written numerous articles on divorce law for the Hawaii Bar Journal, the Honolulu Advertiser, and the Honolulu Star Bulletin. Mr. Darrah is the recipient of the Hawaii State Bar Association’s "Outstanding and Meritorious Service to the Legal Community and the Profession" award. Mr. Darrah is the recipient of the Mediation Center of the Pacific's "Lawyer as Problem Solver" award. Since 1976, through the use of conciliation, negotiation, mediation, professional mastering, arbitration, private judging, collaborative practice, and traditional litigation, always with the goal of "discrete, dignified, done right", Mr. Darrah has helped his many clients successfully address the myriad challenges of divorce.
Certificates and Credentials
About William Darrah
Admitted: 1976, Hawaii
Professional Webpage: www.wcdlawhawaii.com/profiles/darrah/
Honors and Awards:
- Lawyer As Problem Solver, Mediation Center of the Pacific, 2011
- Hawaii's first "Family Lawyer of the Year" by ballot of colleagues in Best Lawyers in America, Family Lawyer of the Year, Honolulu Magazine & Best Lawyers in America, 2009
- HSBA Young Lawyer Division President's Award for outstanding pro bono service to the community, YLD Justice Award, Hawaii State Bar Association, 1997
- HSBA's award for outstanding and meritorious service to the legal community and the profession, C. Frederick Schutte Award, Hawaii State Bar Association, 1992
- Highest attorney peer rating, AV-Rated, Martindale-Hubbell, 1989-present
- Best Lawyers in America, 1989-present
- Hawaii's A+ Lawyers, 1993-present
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation, 2006-present
- Certified fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
- Certified divorce arbitrator, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Editor, Journal of Hawaii Family Law, Hawaii State Bar Association's Family Law Section, 1990
- Co-chairperson, Permanent Committee on Family Court Rules, Hawaii Supreme Court, 2007-present
- Chairperson, Hawaii State Bar Association's Family Law Section, 1989-1990, 1995, and 2005
- Member, Committee on Statewide Divorce Practice Reform, Hawaii Supreme Court, 2005-present
- Member, Volunteer Settlement Master Steering Committee, Hawaii Family Court, 2003-present
- Editor, Hawaii Divorce Manual, Hawaii State Bar Association, 1992-present
- Service on numerous Hawaii Family Court and Hawaii Supreme Court committees, 1976-present
- Member, Procedures Improvement Group, Hawaii First Circuit Family Court, 2006-present
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Co-presenter of the monthly Divorce Law in Hawaii public education program at the Hawaii Supreme Court
- Family Court Volunteer Settlement Master
- Principal instructor for divorce mediators at the Mediation Center of the Pacific
Scholarly Lectures and Writings:
- Author, numerous written articles on divorce law for the Hawaii Bar Journal, Honolulu Advertiser, and Honolulu Star Bulletin
- Editor, Journal of Hawaii Family Law
- Editor, Hawaii Divorce Manual, Hawaii State Bar Association
Representative Clients:
- William C. Darrah represents divorcing clients throughout the State of Hawaii. Mr. Darrah specializes in assisting clients with large asset estates and complex financial issues. Mr. Darrah's clients have typically included business owners, investors, entrepreneurs, doctors, attorneys, professors, other professionals, athletes, entertainers, celebrities, public figures, successfully retired people, and their spouses, among others.
Other Outstanding Achievements:
- Upon graduating from law school, Mr. Darrah served a federal judicial clerkship in Portland, Oregon with the (late) Hon. Senior Judge Gus J. Solomon. While on sabbatical from law school, Mr. Darrah was involved in successful environmental litigation in Hawaii and Washington D.C.
Educational Background:
- Root-Tilden Scholar, New York University School of Law, 1975
- Morehead Scholar, University of North Carolina, 1970
- Valedictorian, Tabor Academy (Marion, Massachusetts), 1966
Industry Groups
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Last Updated: 5/4/2015