ÂÜŔňÂŇÂ×

Jim was born and raised on the island of Maui in Hawaii and prior to joining WhiteStar in 2019, he worked as an attorney since 1974 in Honolulu as legal counsel primarily for establishing and operating Taft-Hartley and ERISA regulated trust funds. Clients have included pension and fringe benefit trust funds for electricians, plumbers, cable television, operating engineers, carpenters, masons and stevedores, among others. In the normal course of legal representation, Jim has advised his clients on ERISA compliance, plan design, asset management, benefit claims, plan mergers, and participant communications. In addition, he has much experience in formation and operation of business entities, including helping clients to envision and implement business plans using his skills in negotiating, drafting, reviewing and editing a wide variety of transactional and regulatory documents required for efficient achievement business goals.

After attending Punahou School in Honolulu and Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Jim earned his law degree in 1974 from the Georgetown University Law Center. While attending Georgetown, he worked part-time for almost 3 years at the U.S. Supreme Court. He is recognized as one of the “Best Lawyers in Hawaii” in peer recognition conducted by Honolulu Magazine and has an AV rating in Martindale-Hubbell.

​

Throughout his career Jim has been engaged with commitments to his community serving on many non-profit organizations as an officer or member of the board in areas such as performing arts, law enforcement, legal services, education, public safety and youth development. He has served as Hawaii Chapter Chair of Young Presidents’ Organization and World Presidents’ Organization. He is a past president of Oahu Country Club and The Pacific Club.

​

Jim now welcomes the opportunity to use his strategic skills: to offer WSA options for trustees in ERISA regulated Taft-Hartley trust funds to achieve consistent returns equal to or better than their plan’s actuarial assumption, and to enhance WSA’s ability to provide ERISA compliant solutions to trustees in an environment where employer and union trustees are often ERISA parties-in-interest with respect to each other.