Keola is a member of the firm’s Finance, Real Estate, and Corporate Department based out of the firm’s Kahului office on Maui. He leverages over fifteen years of transactional and litigation experience practicing in Hawai‘i, California, and New York.
Keola has represented some of the country’s largest companies in high-stakes disputes relating to corporate mergers, real estate agreements, and environmental claims. This broad and diverse experience is a unique strength that allows Keola to provide solution-based approaches to complex legal issues.
Before returning home to Hawai‘i several years ago, Keola worked at some of the nation’s best law firms in New York and Los Angeles. In 2020, he moved to Maui and provided legal advice to Maui’s county mayor, council, and other public officials as a Deputy Corporation Counsel.
Awards
- Listed in Best Lawyers®, since 2025
- Top Minority Attorneys in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2020
- 40 Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40, National LGBT Bar Association, 2014
Community Involvement
- First Unitarian Church Of Los Angeles, President, Board of Trustees (2017-2020)
- OutRight Action International, Member, Board of Directors (2014-2020)
- The Trevor Project Inc, Founder of Trevor NextGen (2008-2012)
Education
- J.D. (2007), University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, cum laude
- M.A., Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies (2004), Reed College
- B.A., Political Philosophy (2001), Whitman College
Admissions
- Hawai‘i State Bar (2019)
- California State Bar (2013)
- New York State Bar (2008)
Membership
- Hawai‘i State Bar Association
- California State Bar Association
- New York State Bar Association
- “Maui’s Shifting Shoreline and SMA Rules,” Cades Schutte ke kumu (Spring/Summer 2024) (Co-Author)
- “Emergency Powers Under Scrutiny: New Uses and Limits of Chapter 127A,” Hawaii Bar Journal (December 2023) (Author)
- “Changes to Honolulu’s Coastal Zone Management,” Cades Schutte ke kumu (Spring/Summer 2023) (Co-Author)
- “Will Trulia Drive “Merger Tax” Suits out of Delaware?” Legal Backgrounder, Washington Legal Foundation (Co-Author)
- “Seventh Circuit Rejects Disclosure-Only Settlement in Merger Tax Suit, Embracing Delaware Chancery Court’s “Trulia” Decision,” Legal Pulse, Washington Legal Foundation (Co-Author)
- “Soul Men Ruling Latest to Demonstrate Courts’ Shift To Transformative Use Test In Publicity Rights Cases,” Entertainment Law & Finance (Author)
- “Gay-Straight Alliances and Free Speech: Are Parental Consent Laws Constitutional?” Berkeley J. Gender L. & Justice (Author)
- “Trademark Dilution in a Global Age,” University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Economic Law (Author)
