Darene K. Matsuoka

Darene represents landowners, developers, corporations, family-run businesses, and individuals across several Hawaiian Islands, including O‘ahu, Maui, and Moloka‘i. Her practice focuses on commercial and real property disputes, water rights regulatory proceedings and litigation, and land use issues. She has experience in all aspects of litigation, including pre-litigation negotiations, discovery, motions practice, settlement negotiations, bench and jury trials, and appeals. She has litigated before administrative agencies, state and federal trial courts, and state and federal appellate courts.

Darene earned her law degree from the University of Hawai‘i William S. Richardson School of Law. As a law student, Darene was the Executive Editor of the University of Hawai‘i Law Review, President of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, and research assistant to Professor Andrea Freeman. She won a national award for Third Best Oralist as a member of the Native American Moot Court team and received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Legal Practice. She served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Mark E. Recktenwald, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawai‘i, and the Honorable Karl K. Sakamoto, then-Judge of the Circuit Court of the First Circuit. She also clerked at the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, Domestic Violence Felony division.

Darene has been recognized on the Best Lawyers® Ones to Watch list since 2023. Born and raised in Hawai‘i, Darene is a graduate of St. Andrew’s Schools.