Michael L. Lam is a Director and shareholder of the firm. He concentrates his practice in the area of litigation, including construction and development law, trade name and trademark infringement, insurance defense, real property issues, products liability and personal injury and general litigation matters. Mr. Lam’s practice also encompasses a range of transactions, including commercial, industrial office and retail development, leasing and sales.
His practice also includes insurance defense in a number of areas, including wrongful death, medical malpractice, products liability, commercial disputes, real property disputes, trade name and trademark infringement matters.
Mr. Lam has represented architects, developers, prime contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and construction lenders in mechanic's liens, Miller Act claims, payment disputes and workouts on large construction projects. Mr. Lam has also represented a major State of Hawaii real estate developer in development disputes.
With respect to his real estate transactional work, Mr. Lam counsels companies, developers, property managers, and landlords and tenants on a myriad of sophisticated transactions, including but not limited to, land acquisitions, development, and commercial leasing issues.
As a trial attorney, he has represented financial institutions, developers, professionals, and large corporations in matters ranging in complexity from Truth-in-Lending, Petroleum Marketing Practice Act, and Fair Housing Act and racial discrimination cases, to partnerships dissolution disputes and corporate shareholder disputes.
In January 2007, Michael Lam successfully obtained a ruling from the Hawaii State Supreme Court for his client in which the court ruled that a settlement, which requires the dismissal of a non-settling party’s cross-claim against the settling party, was not made in good faith, under HRS 663-15.5(d), even though the settlement without the dismissal requirement would have been in good faith. See reported case: Brooks v. Dana Nance & Co., 113 Hawaii 406, 153 P.3d 1091, 2007 Haw. Lexis 8 (Haw. Jan. 12, 2007)
Michael L. Lam is a member of the firm's Executive Committee.