William C. Darrah

William C. Darrah is an attorney, mediator, and arbitrator specializing in financially more complicated matrimonial cases. A Hawaii divorce practitioner since 1976, he has been the editor of the Hawaii Divorce Manual since 1990, and the editor of the Journal of Hawaii Family Law since 1994. Chair of the HSBA’s Family Law Section in 1989, 1990, 1995, and 2005, a certified fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers since 1985, one of Hawaii’s “A+ lawyers” since 1993, a member of the 2008 inaugural class of “Hawaii Super Lawyers,” Hawaii’s first “Family Lawyer of the Year” in 2009, and The Best Lawyers in America designee since 1989, Mr. Darrah is a 1975 graduate of New York University School of Law, where he was a Root-Tilden Scholar, and a 1970 graduate from the University of North Carolina, where he was a Morehead Scholar.  Certified by the American Bar Association as a divorce mediator in 1985, and by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers as a divorce arbitrator in 1992, he is the 1992 recipient of the HSBA’s C. Frederick Schutte Award and the 1997 recipient of the HSBA’s YLD Justice Award, both for commitment to public service. Since 1979 Mr. Darrah has taught many Family Court divorce education programs offered to Hawaii judges, lawyers, and the public, including The Divorce Experience, Kids First I, Kids First II, and Divorce Law in Hawaii, a monthly program started in 2002 to help litigants deal with money issues in divorce.

Education

• J.D., New York University School of Law, 1975
• B.A., University of North Carolina, 1970

Admissions

• Hawaii State Bar, 1976

Family Law & ADR Certifications

• Certified Divorce Mediator, American Bar Association, 1985
• Certified Divorce Arbitrator, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML)
• Arbitrator, Private Judge, Mediator, & Settlement Master, Dispute Prevention Resolution, 2006 - present
• Founding Member, Collaborative Divorce Hawaii Practice Group, 2012

Family Court & Bar Association Activities

• Chair, Hawaii State Bar Association (HSBA) Family Law Section, 1989 -1990, 1995, and 2005
• Family Court Volunteer Settlement Master, 1988, 2004 - present
• Hawaii Supreme Court, Committee on Statewide Divorce Practice Reform, 2005 - present
• First Circuit Family Court, Procedures Improvement Group, 2006 - present
• Co-Chair, Hawaii Supreme Court, Committee on Hawaii Family Court Rules, 2007 - present; Co-Chair since 2012

Educating Others

• Program Chair, Divorce Law Update Program, Hawaii State Bar Association, 1989 - 2007
• Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Hawaii Family Law, Family Law Section, 1990 - present
• Editor-in-Chief, Hawaii Divorce Manual, Hawaii State Bar Association, 1994 - present
• Senior Divorce Mediator Trainer, Mediation Center of the Pacific, 1998 - present
• Moderator, Family Court’s “Divorce Law in Hawaii Program,” 2002 - present

Awards & Distinctions

• AV-Rated, Martindale-Hubbell’s highest attorney peer rating, 1989 - present
• Hawaii’s A+ Lawyers, 1993 - present
• The Best Lawyers in America, “Hawaii Lawyer of the Year,” 2009
• Member, Hawaii “Super Lawyers”, 2008 - present
• The Best Lawyers in America, 1989 - present
• C. Frederick Schutte Award, Hawaii State Bar Association, 1992
• YLD Justice Award, Hawaii State Bar Association, 1997
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation, 2006 - present
• “Lawyer as Problem Solver” Award, Mediation Center of the Pacific, 2011