James H Case

Hawaii Lawyer James H Case

Born on Kauai, Territory of Hawaii in 1920, James H. Case graduated from Harvard Law School and returned home in 1949 to commence a legal career spanning over six decades to his retirement in 2012 at age 92. Sixty-one of those years were with Hawaii's oldest law firm, Carlsmith Ball, founded in Hilo, Kingdom of Hawaii in 1857. Under Case's mentor, Wendell Carlsmith, and later Case, Carlsmith Ball grew from three Hilo lawyers when Case joined in 1951 into one of the largest and most prominent firms in Hawaii and the Pacific. In stories from throughout his career, Case reflects on a myriad of challenges faced and lessons learned. He focuses on clients of all sorts: their goals, successes and failures; his own successes and failures in representing them; what happened to them and why. In doing so he illustrates what it really means to practice law and manage complex situations, people and institutions. This is also a story of post-War Hawaii, from its roots in the 19th century through Statehood in 1959 and two-plus generations of dizzying change since. For Case and his firm and clients were an integral part of Hawaii's economic and social evolution, from King Sugar and the Big Five to tourism, alternative energy, diversified agriculture, land reform and more. His front-seat perspectives explain much of Hawaii past, present and future. Finally, Case's stories offer insights into continuing a productive and meaningful career deep into one's senior years. Those and other lessons extend well beyond this Hawaii lawyer's career and times.