James D. DiPasquale
Managing Partner, DiPasquale & Summers, LLP
James D. DiPasquale is the managing partner of DiPasquale & Summers, LLP, a litigation and business law firm with offices in Honolulu and New York City. Licensed in both Hawai‘i and New York, James brings over two decades of legal experience and has built a reputation as a formidable trial attorney and trusted business advisor. He has tried 22 jury cases and 13 bench trials, and has handled numerous arbitrations and mediations across a wide spectrum of civil disputes.
James earned his J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law and began his legal career in New York, where he founded DiPasquale Law Group in 2007. In 2017, he merged with longtime colleague Kimberly Summers to form DiPasquale & Summers, LLP. His New York-based practice remains focused on the hospitality industry, representing restaurateurs, hoteliers, and nightlife operators in all aspects of licensing, regulatory defense, corporate governance, and transactions. Through the firm’s New York office, James continues to advise some of the most recognized hospitality groups in the region.
In 2019, James relocated to Honolulu and opened the firm’s Hawai‘i office, where his practice is now concentrated on complex civil litigation. Approximately 80% of his work involves representing plaintiffs and defendants in commercial, employment, real estate, fiduciary, and constitutional litigation, including bench and jury trials. The remaining 20% of his practice is dedicated to advising clients on business formation, internal disputes, commercial leasing, and strategic transactions. He is a frequent advisor to closely held companies navigating governance breakdowns, dissolutions, and internal investigations.
James is admitted to practice in the State of Hawai‘i, the State of New York, the United States District Court for the District of Hawai‘i, and the United States District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, and Northern Districts of New York. He is an active member of the Hawai‘i State Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the New York State Restaurant Association, and the Hospitality Section of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, where he has served on the Business Law Subcommittee.
Since 2013, James has also served as a guest lecturer at the Institute of Culinary Education and has led dozens of workshops in collaboration with NYC Business Solutions, training entrepreneurs on the legal aspects of opening and running a restaurant or bar.
Recent Success:
$3,150,000 Jury Verdict (DeBellis v. Hori – First Circuit Court, Hawaii)
$670,000 Trial Settlement (Scarlet Honolulu v. Honolulu Liquor Commission – USDC, Hawaii)
$261,200.79 Arbitration Award (Jensen v. Visionary Building Group)
$3,054,088.00 Jury Verdict (Oliver v. Merlo – USDC Hawaii)
$1,250,000 Trial Settlement (Zunzurovski v. Bukefal LLC – Supreme Court, NY County)
$276,131.23 Arbitration Award (Vierican LLC v. Midas)
$275,000.00 Settlement (Moore v. Flink – USDC, Hawaii)