C. Michael Heihre

Practice Areas

Agriculture & Food Distribution, Construction, Coronavirus Response, Environmental, Hospitality & Retail, Intellectual Property, Land Use, Zoning & Entitlements, Litigation, Real Estate, Trusts & Estates, Water Resources

Career

Michael is a partner in Cades Schutte’s Litigation Department. Known for his meticulous, strategic approach to the resolution of complex disputes, Michael has successfully navigated clients through their most significant legal matters.

For more than four decades, he has been called upon to serve as lead counsel in some of the most notable actions throughout the state. He has been repeatedly recognized by Best Lawyers in America® in the categories of Bet-the-Company Litigation and Commercial Litigation, among others, and Benchmark Litigation identifies him as among the Litigation Stars in Hawaiʻi.

Michael has extensive experience as a trial lawyer, arbitrator, construction adjudicator, and mediator in the resolution of disputes involving antitrust and trade regulations, business, commercial, construction, contract, financial, insurance, intellectual property, product liability, and real estate matters. He has tried numerous cases to verdict, most recently securing a complete defense verdict in a four-week jury trial in federal district court. He has also secured summary judgment for his clients through motions practice in advance of trial. Michael positions each of his cases for successful resolution, whether through trial, motions practice, or alternative dispute resolution. Notably, while representing the defense in the four-week jury trial and related actions, he secured in excess of $1.3M in fees and costs on behalf of his clients.

Michael is a tireless advocate, approaching every matter with an unrelenting commitment to his client and the law. His clients have expressed “deepest appreciation for [his] invincible determination” and “great competency.”

Michael’s practice has been shaped by early experiences as pro bono lead counsel in land use, zoning, evictions, and native Hawaiian rights cases in federal and state courts, where he gained a deep appreciation for the power of the law and the impact of effective legal representation that is aligned with the client’s mission, vision, and values.

Professional Memberships

American Arbitration Association, Panelist; American Bar Association; Asian International Arbitration Centre (Panels of Arbitrators, Adjudicators, and Mediators); Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Fellow; Dispute Prevention & Resolution, Inc., Panel of Neutrals (Honolulu); Federal Court Bar Association; Hawaii State Bar Association; International Bar Association; International Centre for Dispute Resolution, Panelist; Inter-Pacific Bar Association; Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators, Fellow; Malaysian Society of Adjudicators, Fellow; Society of Construction Lawyers (Malaysia), Member

Personal

B.A with Highest Honors, University of Hawai’i; J.D. Georgetown University Law Center