How do you define success?
I grew up as a shy, lonely, bullied kid with no friends until a caring high school teacher took special interest in mentoring me to break me out of my shell and build my self-confidence. She taught me to think positively and motivated me to improve and strive for excellence. Since then, I have been blessed with many mentors who have guided me to push myself to be successful. In return, I also mentor others and help those who are less fortunate to be their best.

There are many types of success in one’s life. True success is more than having lots of money, wealth, material items, tangibles, status and position, power, etc. Success is the satisfaction of knowing that you gave your best effort to use the gifts and talents that were bestowed upon you to reach your highest achievements that bring happiness, pleasure, and satisfaction.

I believe true success requires one to share their gifts and talents and journey of your life’s walk with your family, friends, and fellow mankind to improve the lives of those you touch during your life’s journey.

What do you hope to see in your industry in the next 10 years?
Like the rest of the world, the legal profession will continue to become even more computerized, electronic, and digitized in the future. Contracts and forms will become more standardized, with digital signatures being the normal way of executing contracts and agreements that will require less attorney involvement. Having advanced computer and technical skills will continue to be valued.

A huge drawback in the loss of human personal interaction will continue to occur as the computer age matures, which I hope the valued human personal interaction aspect of the profession can be preserved and saved.

What do you love most about your job?
I truly love and enjoy helping others, especially those less fortunate. I chose to enter the legal profession because of a genuine interest in helping others both to prevent problems and to resolve the ones that do occur.

Follow and practice “NOBLESSE OBLIGE” in your life: “To whom much is given, much is expected.”

What are some of the biggest challenges facing your industry?
The legal profession is facing many of the same challenges being experienced by most businesses and industries including: Uncertainty of the future with Covid-19 and the pandemic; cybersecurity; providing clients more services consistent with advancing technologies; keeping up and staying current with the advancing technologies; hiring and retention of attorneys and staff; adjusting to the hybrid working environment, and the like.

A big concern is about our future generation of workers and the workforce values and attitudes. In general, employees want to be paid more and expect more while having less loyalty to their employers. Hopefully, this trend will reverse and/or change.

What are some words of advice for an exit strategy?
My advice is to have a long-term exit strategy. Plan your career to provide you with “financial freedom” so you will not be forced to be a slave to your work in a particular job or position just to survive. Exit on a high note or at a high point in your career, and not because you are forced to quit.

What do you do for fun?
I truly love and enjoy giving back and helping out to improve my community. Presently, I am the Chair of the BOD of Maryknoll School and President and Chair of the BOD of Palolo Chinese Home.

I am also on the golf committee of Waialae Country Club, West Honolulu Rotary, Chaine des Rotisseurs, and director of the Honolulu Chinese Chamber of Commerce, to name a few.

In addition to being an attorney, I am currently a judge (per diem), hearings officer for the attorney disciplinary board, and also an arbitrator and mediator.

What are some surprising lessons you learned in becoming a leader?
I learned to develop and follow a mission statement with the collaboration of the stakeholders which contains core values and objectives. A great leader is able to be a role model and have others work together as a team despite their differences, attitudes, and difficulties.

Transparency, accountability, moral values, ethics, and humility are important.

Remember the secret of laws of attraction that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life because of the energy that you emit.

Always be positive, supportive and optimistic, and know that good things will occur.

One only learns and improves from failures and not by successes.

Turn your failures around and use them as a force to push you on to greatness.

What appears as the darkest hour of failure is actually the point from which success and a brighter tomorrow will occur.

Know that there are no limits except those that you set and or create.

We are all bestowed with gifts that we are stewards of and we have a duty to use those gifts not only for our own benefit, but also to share with and improve our fellow mankind.

In closing, I am always amazed by the wonder of the human experience of imperfection. That is, no matter how imperfect and messed up we are individually as human beings, when we work together as an organization or society, we can accomplish many great things as a team.