Kobayashi Sugita & Goda

What Kobayashi Sugita & Goda does

Kobayashi Sugita & Goda (KS&G) is a full-service law firm established in 1971 in Honolulu, Hawaii, operating as a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP). The firm is staffed by approximately 47-50 attorneys organized into a three-tier structure of founding partners, partners, and of counsel, supported by associates, and is headquartered at 999 Bishop Street in the First Hawaiian Bank Center. KS&G provides legal services across 25+ practice areas grouped into six categories: Business (including business transactions, real estate, construction, intellectual property, sports and entertainment, environmental, and antitrust), Litigation (commercial, construction, civil, and appeals), Estate Planning (trust administration and probate), Banking and Finance (loan documentation, bankruptcy, foreclosure, compliance), Labor and Employment, and Administrative (governmental procurement, immigration, public utilities, liquor licensing, campaign and election law).

The firm's client base is concentrated in Hawaii and spans large enterprise clients - including Hawaii's most successful businesses, major landowners and developers, regional and national financial institutions, and major international companies doing business with the state - alongside state and county government agencies and high-net-worth individuals seeking estate planning, trust administration, and immigration services. Multilingual attorneys (Japanese, Mandarin) support cross-border work for clients based in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other Pacific Rim geographies.

KS&G generates revenue through professional fees billed on hourly, matter-based, or project-based terms, with no publicly disclosed fee schedules. The firm does not deploy any proprietary technology platforms; its practice is built on attorney expertise, peer recognition (Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, Super Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation, Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent), and deep institutional ties to Hawaii's business and government community. Client acquisition is driven primarily by professional reputation, peer recognition, community involvement, and referrals from long-tenured relationships rather than traditional marketing.

Name

Kobayashi Sugita & Goda

Legal name

Kobayashi Sugita & Goda, LLP

Website

https://ksglaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kobayashi Sugita & Goda is a Honolulu-based full-service law firm founded in 1971 with approximately 50 attorneys serving Hawaii's enterprise businesses, government agencies, financial institutions, and high-net-worth individuals across 25+ practice areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: Law firm generates revenue through billable legal services rendered to clients. Services span multiple practice areas including litigation, corporate transactions, real estate, estate planning, labor/employment, and regulatory compliance. Fees are charged based on hourly rates or fixed fees for specific matters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kobayashi Sugita & Goda is a full-service law firm providing legal representation across business transactions, complex litigation, real estate, estate planning, labor and employment, banking and finance, immigration, and administrative/regulatory matters. The firm serves enterprise businesses, government entities, financial institutions, and high net worth individuals in Hawaii from its Honolulu headquarters. Founded in 1971, the firm operates through a tiered structure of partners, of counsel, and associates, with deep integration into Hawaii's business, governmental, and community fabric.

Product overview

Kobayashi Sugita & Goda (KS&G) is a full-service law firm based in Honolulu, Hawaii, established in 1971. The firm offers comprehensive legal services organized into multiple practice area categories: Business (including business transactions, real estate, construction, intellectual property, sports/entertainment, and environmental law), Litigation (commercial, construction, civil, and appeals), Estate Planning (trust administration and probate), Banking & Finance (bankruptcy, loan documentation, compliance, foreclosure), Labor & Employment, and Administrative law (governmental procurement, immigration, public utilities). The firm also operates a Summer Associate Program for recruiting law students. The portfolio is structured as a unified law practice with specialized practice groups rather than discrete software products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Practice Legal Services
• Litigation Legal Services
• Estate Planning Legal Services Estate planning, trust administration, probate, estate and trust litigation, and tax-efficient wealth transfer services for high net worth individuals, families, and business owners.
• Banking & Finance Legal Services Banking and finance legal services including Bankruptcy, Loan Documentation, Compliance, and Foreclosure representation for regional and national financial institutions and lenders.
• Labor & Employment Legal Services Labor and employment law representation for management, including HR compliance, employment litigation, and labor relations advice for businesses operating in Hawaii.
• Administrative & Regulatory Legal Services Administrative law services including Governmental Procurement & Bid Protests, Campaign & Election, Liquor License, Immigration, and Public Utilities representation before state and county agencies and commissions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Represented clients in the largest, most complex litigation matters in Hawaii's history
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing: Honolulu-based full-service firm comparable in size and Hawaii market focus, with overlapping practice areas including business, real estate, and litigation.
• Cades Schutte: One of Hawaii's oldest and largest full-service law firms, similarly serving enterprise, government, and high-net-worth clients in Honolulu across a broad range of practice areas.
• Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel: Long-established Honolulu-based full-service firm of comparable size and prestige, also recognized in Chambers USA for General Commercial Hawaii work.
• Carlsmith Ball: Hawaii-based full-service firm with a deep bench of attorneys; multiple KS&G alumni previously practiced at Carlsmith (e.g., Craig Shikuma, Charles Gall, John Lezak).
• McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon: Honolulu-based mid-sized full-service firm serving similar enterprise and institutional clients in Hawaii across litigation, real estate, and corporate matters.
• Starn O'Toole Marcus & Fisher: Honolulu-based law firm with comparable practice depth in business, real estate, and litigation, frequently listed alongside KS&G in Hawaii legal rankings.
• Sullivan Meheula Lee: Hawaii-based litigation and business firm of similar mid-market profile, competing for similar enterprise and government matters.

Broad incumbents

• Dentons: Global mega-firm with a Hawaii presence; competes for large cross-border and Pacific Rim mandates that KS&G also targets, but as part of a much broader international platform.
• Hogan Lovells: Global law firm with Asia-Pacific and U.S. mainland reach, occasionally engaged on Hawaii-tied cross-border and infrastructure matters overlapping KS&G's administrative and utilities work.

Regional players

• Bays Deaver Hiatt Kawachika: Hawaii-based firm; KS&G partner Craig Shikuma and the late John Lezak were founding partners here before joining KS&G — historically comparable in size and real estate/litigation focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/141596025876004

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kobayashi Sugita & Goda