Nate is a partner in the Finance, Real Estate, and Corporate Department. He focuses his practice on commercial finance, affordable housing, and business transactions.
He has guided a diverse range of clients, from individuals to multinational corporations, to achieve practical and cost-effective solutions for complex matters in industries including financial and professional services, hospitality, and real estate. Nate represents both lenders and borrowers from contract to close on commercial loans with an emphasis on project finance. His practice also involves advising on the development and finance of affordable housing projects, including projects utilizing Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).
Born and raised in Honolulu, Nate received his joint law degrees (J.D. and LL.M.) from Duke University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Pepperdine University. In law school, he earned the James S. Bidlake Memorial Award in Legal Analysis, Research & Writing and was a Lead Editor on the Alaska Law Review. Nate participated in the Duke in DC program and externed in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of General Counsel International Section. He also interned in the Legal Department of the International Finance Corporation (Hong Kong office), a member of the World Bank Group.
At Pepperdine University, Nate was a National Merit Scholar and Regents’ Scholar. He also participated in the inaugural Shanghai, China International Program. After graduating from Pepperdine, he returned to Shanghai to further his Chinese language studies at Fudan University. Nate is proficient in Mandarin and Cantonese. Outside of the office, he enjoys traveling, surfing, and rock climbing. He graduated as a valedictorian of ‘Iolani School.
Experience
- Advised and represented lenders and developers on Hawai‘i’s largest Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects.
- Advised and represented client on reorganization, refinancing, and restructuring of ownership and operation of a luxury hotel on transactions valued cumulatively over $450,000,000.
- Advised and represented client on a $74,000,000 mezzanine loan to developer of a multi-tower hotel, residential and commercial mixed-use project.
- Advised and represented client on sale of $150,000,000 mainland property portfolio.
- Counseled client in workout involving multiple corporate entities and ownership of a $24,000,000 real estate development project.
Awards
- Hawaii Business Magazine Emerging Legal Stars, 2024
- Listed in Super Lawyers®, Rising Stars, since 2021
- Listed in Best Lawyers®, since 2025, Ones to Watch (2022-2024)
Community Involvement
- Business Law Corps
- Legal Lines
- Pu‘uhonua O Wai‘anae
- Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders
- Honolulu Police Community Foundation
Education
- LL.M. International and Comparative Law, Duke University School of Law
- J.D., Duke University School of Law
- Chinese Language Certificate, Fudan University
- B.A. Economics, Minor in Asian Studies, Certificate in Conflict Management, Pepperdine University, magna cum laude
- ‘Iolani School, Valedictorian
Admissions
- Hawai‘i State Bar
- United States District Court for the District of Hawai‘i
Membership
- Hawaii State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association
- Urban Land Institute
- Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, Young Professionals Program
- “Low-Income Housing Tax Credits: A Successful Form of Affordable Housing Financing,” ke kumu (Fall/Winter 2023) (Co-Author)
- “An (Informal) Opinion on Legal Opinions,” ke kumu (Fall/Winter 2022) (Co-Author)
- Hawai‘i corporate law chapter of “Doing Business in States Other Than the State of Incorporation”, Bloomberg Law (2020) (Co-Author)
- “Electric Industry: Convergence – IOT and the Electric Industry,” ke kumu (Summer 2017) (Co-Author)
- “From One Paradise to Another: A Cross-Cultural Conversation on Traveling from Suzhou to Hawai‘i,” Hawaii Bar Journal (April 2016) (Co-Author)
- Professor Sundra Rajoo’s “CIPAA – 2012 Statistical Report,” Malaysian Society of Adjudicators Newsletter, Issue #4 (July – December 2015) (Co-Translator into Chinese)
- “Commercial Loan Training Program,” Client in-house training (2023) (Co-Presenter)
- “Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and 201H Housing Development Overview,” Client in-house training (2023) (Co-Presenter)
