Gordon M. Arakaki
Associate
Email
Gordon M. Arakaki brings a wealth of public and private sector experience to Clay Chapman Iwamura Pulice & Nervell, focusing his practice on government affairs as well as the development and management of condominium projects. Gordon helps clients navigate the complex law-making processes of the State Legislature1 and county councils. He also represents people developing condominium projects and counsels condominium, cooperative, and other types of homeowner associations.
Gordon joined the firm in 2009 after serving his second stint as the Chief of Staff of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means (i.e., the Senate committee responsible for crafting the State’s budget and accounting for all measures with fiscal impacts). He has also served as Staff Attorney/Committee Clerk for the Senate Committee on Education and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Information Technology.
In the condominium world, Gordon was the Hawaii Real Estate Commission’s Condominium Law Recodification Project Attorney. As such, he was the primary author of the Commission’s final report to the Legislature on the recodification of Hawaii’s condominium property regimes law, which the Legislature stated should be used as an aid in understanding and interpreting the new law (Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 514B). Gordon received the 2004 “Public Advocate of the Year” award from the Community Associations Institute—Hawaii Chapter for “helping craft and advance the next generation of the Hawaii Condominium Property Act.” Gordon has lectured and written extensively on the recodification of Hawaii’s condominium law. He has also lectured and written on a number of land use topics.
Gordon has also worked in various capacities for the Lt. Governor, Honolulu City Council, Hawaii Visitors Bureau, Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii, and Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.
A 1984 graduate of the William S. Richardson School of Law, Gordon received his Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Pomona College in 1980. He has been a member of the Hawaii State Bar Association since 1984.
1Hawaii State law does not allow Gordon to represent clients before the State Senate until December 16, 2009.