My virtual law firm specializes in small business law, with a focus on creativity, sustainability, and giving back to the community.

A graduate of Kamehameha Schools and the University of San Diego, I earned my law degree magna cum laude from the William S. Richardson School of Law, with certificates in Native Hawaiian and Environmental Law, where I was an editor on the UH Law Review and member of the Environmental Law Moot Court.

I worked for several non-profit and government agencies focused on protecting our precious natural & cultural resources, and gained experience clerking in the state and federal courts. I then worked at Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law for several years, where I taught classes and conducted community legal trainings on land and water rights. I'm currently pursuing a PhD in Indigenous Politics, am part of the Pōʻai ke Aloha ʻĀina Research Lab committed to elevating aloha ʻāina and circular economy principles, and serve on the State Environmental Advisory Council. 

In 2020, I started my own product-based business which involved a bunch of collaboration with artists and other brands and non-profits. Through participating in accelerators like Mana Up Hawaiʻi, the Pākōlea program, and the Female Founder Collective (and doing pop-up markets of course), I met so many brilliant entrepreneurs who wanted more affordable and approachable legal services, and was inspired to create Kōnane Law.







Aloha! I'm Mahina - attorney, mom, educator & small business owner.

Recent awards:
- Hawaiʻi Pacific Foundation Doctoral Research Award, East-West Center, 2023
- Recipient of Empowering ʻŌiwi Leadership Award, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, 2022 

Recent publications:
- "Reframing Kānāwai: Towards a Restorative Justice Framework for Indigenous Peoples," 7 Indigenous Peoples’ Journal of Law, Culture & Resistance 1 (2022).
- "Militarization, slow violence, and the emerging threat of condemnation in Hawaiʻi," Journal of Environmental Media vol. 2, supp. 1 (2021).
- "The Power and Potential of the Public Trust: Insight from Hawaiʻi’s Water Battles and Triumphs" (book chapter) (2019) (with Kapua Sproat).

Mom to 3 wildlings, perpetual nerd, was voted "most comedic" in high school, has travelled to 30 countries, and currently runs a puzzle biz out of a renovated school bus (not joking).


5 fun facts

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Kōnane means:
(1) bright moonlight; to shine as the moon; (2) ancient Hawaiian game of strategy, played with pebbles placed in even lines on a stone or wood board.

Both meanings encompass what this law firm strives to do - (1) shine a light on the creativity of small businesses; and (2) help entrepreneurs strategize, anticipate and plan for legal risks, and "play the long game" to build a sustainable business and legacy.
 

WHY Kōnane?

As both a lawyer and creative business owner, I understand the unique challenges you face, and the big dreams that keep you going.

Everything in business is learnable, fixable, and figureoutable.

You don't have to be a workaholic
to be successful. Really.

MY WHY

Check out the blog for free resources, updates and legal news that affect how you do business.

The blog