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PMK Senior Associate Seth Harris is passionate about family law

Family law attorneys often meet people during very emotional events in their lives, such as divorces or custody disputes. Such situations require steady, compassionate guidance. The opportunity to help clients through these difficult times is exactly what attracted Seth Harris to family law.   

“You don’t have to just struggle through this experience and be lost,” said Seth, who joined PMK in 2017. “I feel strongly about helping my clients get through what can be a tough process. That’s a big part of what motivates me and why I continue to do this.”   

 Seth received his Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University and his law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. He has 20 years of experience practicing law, 14 of which are in family law, and built PMK’s family law practice from the ground up.  

In his free time, Seth enjoys Kendo (Japanese Fencing) and has earned a 6th degree black belt. He is married with two children. 

Contact: [email protected]

Divorce is complicated – both emotionally and legally. Unfortunately, it can get even thornier when there is finger-pointing.

Hawaii is a no-fault divorce state and has been so since 1972. Meaning that generally speaking, a judge won’t make any decisions regarding whether one spouse’s actions were right or wrong during the marriage.

Here in the Aloha State, the judge will grant the divorce if one party wants to end the marriage and says it is irretrievably broken. Therefore, the court will make custody decisions regarding what’s in the child’s best interest, how much and who pays alimony and child support, and how the property is divided independently of any morality issues such as adultery.

  Among the advantages of no-fault divorce are the following:

•       It’s simpler and provides more predictable and consistent outcomes
•       If there is less conflict between the parties, it will be less stressful for children.
•       Alimony and child support are based only on need and financial resources, rather than on inappropriate actions taken by one or both spouses.

Seth Harris, a senior associate at the PMK family law division, is available to assist you with divorce, and any other family law needs. Contact him at [email protected].

Tiffany Aukai joined PMK in May 2022 as an associate attorney specializing in the areas of community association law, construction litigation, and commercial litigation on Oahu and the neighbor islands. A graduate of the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law, she previously worked as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the City and County of Honolulu and clerked for the Honorable Judge Matthew J. Viola of the First Circuit Court of Hawaii.

Tiffany pursued a career in law because of her passion to help others. Her father, who is a retired police captain on Maui, served as a role model.

“He really inspired my drive to work hard and to help the most vulnerable members of our community and his influence is mainly why I am an attorney today,” she said.

Tiffany became interested in real estate law in law school and continually finds it challenging and exciting, especially local issues such as affordable housing, contract issues, or what can wrong during the construction process.

“I had great professors who sparked an interest in the subject, and in Hawaii in particular, the real estate sector is constantly developing,” she said. “The more development we have, the more opportunity we have to solve problems.”

Currently, she is working on an article for the newsletter for the Hawaii Chapter of the Community Association Institutes about service animals and the difference between reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications under the Federal Housing Act.

In the future, Tiffany hopes to tackle constitutional issues in real property law, such as governmental involvement in zoning issues.

Tiffany grew up on Maui and now lives in Kaneohe. In her free time, she enjoys practicing yoga and spending time with her two-year-old daughter and her husband, who is also an attorney.

Jose Vega joined PMK in February 2022 as an associate attorney practicing community association law on Oahu and the neighbor islands. While attending the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law, he served with the Hawaiian Innocence Project and the Immigration Clinic, both of which are nonprofit organizations that help promote justice for minority groups. After graduating and before joining PMK, he worked in the areas of insurance defense and criminal law.

Jose’s family encouraged him to pursue a career in law, in part to follow in the footsteps of some of his maternal relatives who practiced law in Mexico.

Jose said he has benefitted from and appreciates the learning opportunities that practicing real estate law has afforded him.

“I enjoy challenges and I find that I am learning every day as I practice,” Jose said.

The subject of one of his favorite classes in law school was secure transactions.

“This type of practice works with secure transactions and adds a layer of complexity that I enjoy,” he said.

Recently, Jose has studied reasonable accommodations and how to determine when homeowners’ associations must provide them, which can be especially complex when residents have competing interests.

 “There are no hard and fast rules,” he said. “It is very case-by-case. “

Born in Texas and raised in Georgia, Jose now lives in Makiki. In his free time, he enjoys free diving, painting, and rock climbing.

Going through a divorce is a monumental life event. Divorces can be both expensive and stressful. You should expect your divorce attorney to be with you through every step of the legal process and maybe even provide some handholding along the way. You should demand both compassion and professionalism.   

Because your lawyer will play such a crucial role in the process, you’ll want to be very deliberate when choosing who you’ll work with. Here are some things to think about and some specific actions to take before settling on a divorce attorney:   

• What type of divorces have they handled? Every divorce is different, but you’ll want to know that your attorney has handled cases that are similar to yours.   

• Talk to other people you know and trust who have gone through divorces. Ask them if they recommend a specific law office or attorney.  

• Identify at least three lawyers to interview. Prepare your questions ahead of time and carefully evaluate their answers to determine if they will meet your needs and mesh with your personality.  

• Does your prospective divorce attorney listen? If they are constantly distracted by their phone or being disturbed by others knocking on their office door, that is a sign that they may not give you the undivided attention that you deserve.  

• How do they charge? If there’s an hourly rate, what is it? Some attorneys provide fixed-rate fees for certain types of divorces or reduced rates for limited services.  

• Do you feel comfortable talking to them? You’re likely to share some very personal information with them, so you’ll want to trust them and feel at ease conversing with them.   

PKK Senior Associate Seth Harris can provide you with a compassionate ear and specialized expertise to assist you with your divorce needs. Contact him today to learn what he can do for you.