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William A. Harrison

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William A. Harrison

also known as Bill

4.8
9 reviews
This is an aggregated review score of Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews.
Rating: 9.7

Licensed for 44 years

Criminal defense Lawyer at Honolulu, HI
Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Personal Injury

1001 Bishop Street, Suite 2828, Honolulu, HI

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William A. Harrison's Website
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Call for a FREE consultation (808) 219-0715

About William

Biography

There is never any case too big or too small. Each and every case impacts our clients so we treat each matter as important as any other.

When you need the best!

Practice Areas

2

Practice Areas

Criminal Defense 75%

75%
Personal Injury 25%

25%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 45 minutes

Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

Awards

AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating

AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating

AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating

An elite group of attorneys who have been rated highly by their peers as having Very High Ethical Standards and an A grade (4.5 or higher).

This is the highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.

Licenses

Licensed in Hawaii for 44 years

State: Hawaii

Acquired: 1981

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in New Jersey for 43 years

State: New Jersey

Acquired: 1982

Resigned Without Prejudice

No misconduct found

Location

Harrison Law Center, A Law Corporation

(808) 538-7579

Fax

(808) 219-0715

Mobile

1001 Bishop Street, Suite 2828, Honolulu, HI, 96813

harrisonlawcenter.com
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Gallery

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Online Presence

Other places you can find William online.

William A. Harrison's Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (8) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.
Star rating
5 stars 7
4 stars 0
3 stars 0
2 stars 0
1 star 1
Practice Areas
Criminal Defense (6) Appeals (1) Federal Crime (1) Federal Regulation (1) Government (1) Lawsuits & Disputes (1)
What Clients Mention
Case Results (6) Advocacy (5) Practice Area Knowledge (5) Responsiveness (4) Communication Style (3) Cost of Services (3) General Knowledge (3) Recommendation (3) Professionalism (2) Trustworthiness (2) Character & Conduct (1) Staff & Support (1)

Showing 1 - 5 of 5 reviews | Practice Area Knowledge

Posted by anonymous | May 14, 2019 | Criminal Defense

Pending Criminal felony charge in Hawaii District Court

Personally called me to discuss my case and the type of criminal defense his firm can provide including a balanced, well thought out perspective to the options and rights I have in this felony iindictment and trial strategies.

Posted by anonymous | April 02, 2019 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Case dismissed with prejudice

My son hired Bill Harrison as his defense attorney, but I was inadvertently pulled into the case due to communications the plaintiff had with me and consequently was listed as a witness. During a very stressful period of 6 months Bill guided my son expertly and kept him informed of how the case was p...rogressing. Even though he thought my son had a very good chance of winning the case, he never committed to an outcome, which was both professional and very responsible. I had great respect for that. After the case was extended in December, it was finally called three months later. Even though the court proceeding was short on this day, it is here where Bill Harrison's expertise and extensive knowledge of the Law became obvious and evident to all. For every objection or counter argument the prosecution had to continue the case once again, he had a better answer and could deliver proof of what he was saying. His arguments were concise and absolutely to the point. He managed to get the case dismissed with prejudice! I was truly stunned, for the outcome of this short hearing was better than actually winning the trial! I highly recommend Bill Harrison as a criminal defense lawyer. He is committed and absolutely dedicated. We knew that we were in the best hands possible and we were not wrong.

Posted by S | December 21, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Bill is one of the 3 wise men

Where do I begin...William A Harrison is not only an excellent defense attorney but most importantly he’s a true humanist. Hes been by my side frm the beginning...pre-trial, voire dire process, trial, conviction, incarceration, 2 appeals n YES eventually overturned by the Hawaii Supreme Court! Mr. Ha...rrison visited me numerous times to keep me abreast on my appeals. One particular counsel visit tht touched my heart was 2 days before Christmas n hours before Mr. Harrison was to board a flight. He stopped by despite his grueling schedule in order to reassure me tht he has not forgotten about me. I was truely inspired by his compassion n my hope restored...with him in my corner I can do 100yrs (metaphorically speaking) THANK U THANK U THANK U! U are my Jesus. I would n have DEFINITELY recommend Bill

Posted by anonymous | February 16, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Criminal Defense

Highly recommended

Bill is certainly in the top tier of Hawaii's defense lawyers, and his fees are quite reasonable compared with those of his more arrogant and media-hungry colleagues. I was facing a pretty serious federal charge, and he negotiated a plea agreement that resulted in a very light sentence. The prosecuto...r talked to me right after sentencing, and told me Bill had "saved my life." I can't think of a better recommendation than that. As others have mentioned, he won't return all your calls, or reply to all your emails. There's a lot of anxiety associated with being on the wrong end of a criminal case, so I considered knocking a star off for that. But you just have to trust him. The impression I got is that he's focused on whatever case is most urgent at the time. But when it's your turn, you have his complete attention, and he really knows what he's doing. Bill's a friendly guy, highly respected by his colleagues, and driven to get the best possible results for his clients. I highly recommend him.

Posted by anonymous | July 27, 2015 | Criminal Defense

The Best Defense Attorney in Hawaii

From our experience, Bill is by far the best defense attorney in the State of Hawaii. He is very experienced and as sharp and smart as it gets and well connected. What's great is that you can trust him 100%, and he will always be on your side. Initially, we contacted a few defense attorneys... for the case, and especially one lawyer (not Bill) immediately presumed we were guilty on the phone; and told us to pay him for $200.000 to take the case. How greed this lawyer was! We were scared of the government falsely accusing us of the crime, and this lawyer was about to take advantage of the situation as much as possible. Also, we had another lawyer, who had worked on our case for almost two years, practically didn't do anything helpful; and actually he made everything exponentially worse. Then he has charged us money for not doing anything; and worse after he quit (yes, he quit our case after calling us names on the phone), he colluded with government officials to take as much money as possible ! (although this is just a guess, but we have pretty good evidence for it) Bill was different, so different that we felt like he is a Godsend. He listened our story carefully on the initial phone conversation and after all the meetings, and had told us that he would take care of it; and we had nothing to worry about. He only charged us for the standard retainer rate for $5000. Our case took about a year for him to solve, but not even once we heard him ask for any more money. And, Voila!, our care got dismissed. We are so glad and blessed that we met him, trusted him and his counsel . We soon noticed that he is an extremely busy attorney; and he may not always return our emails or phone calls, but we have been confident and were assured that he has read and listened to all our emails and concerns regardless. He has only responded to the emails/calls that are actually relevant and important to the case for us to know. This way of his communication with a client makes sense. For him to respond to every bit of concerns that we have would only serve distraction and waste of time to fight the case with the government. We were scared of what's going to happen with the government, so we were actually sending him many silly questions. Bill never complained or annoyed by them. So if you work with him, and if he doesn't respond, do not be concerned, he is in charge; and you can and should trust him 100 %; he is not out to get you; he is only out to save you. Now even though he is the best criminal defense attorney in Hawaii, he is not a miracle worker that can always make whatever the crime you may have committed disappear before the government eyes. If that's the case, the system is too corrupted or ridiculous. Actually, we really think our case the government went way too far. But whatever the outcome you get at the end of the day will be 100 times better than what the any other attorneys would be able to bring for you. At the end of the day, we reap what we sow, but with Bill, he will do his best to get you out of the hole. And we are so grateful to find an attorney who are not motivated by the money. I was so scared that all the lawyers are just to doing this for money. I thought when we were under attack by the government, we had to swimming with sharks too. Bill is not. That really gives us a newfound respect to the occupation of "lawyer" itself. He represents what the best defense attorney should be like in Hawaii. We cannot thank him enough! Hire and work with him in 100% confidence.

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William A. Harrison's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse William
Gregory Lawrence Ryan headshot
Gregory Ryan

Criminal defense lawyer | Mar 05

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Excellent criminal defense attorney. I recommend Mr. Harrison highly and without reservation."

Steven J. Kim headshot
Steven Kim

Criminal defense lawyer | Feb 18

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse Bill Harrison heartily. Bill is one of the heavyweights in Hawaii criminal defense. Well liked by attorneys, Judges, and (perhaps most importantly) court staff. This enables him to get things done for clients that otherwise might not be able to get done. Bill is enormously well respected in the criminal defense community. I have practiced law in Honolulu for almost 30 years, and I regularly entrust my clients to Bill when need criminal defense assistance or advice. When an attorney entrusts his clients to another attorney, that is high praise, believe me."

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Experience

Rating:  9.7 (Superb)

Honors

2025

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2024

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2024

Best Lawyer - Criminal Defense, Honolulu Magazine

2024

Best Lawyer - White Collar Criminal defense, Honolulu Magazine

2024

Best Lawyer - Criminal Defense, Best Lawyers

2024

Best Lawyer - White Collar Criminal Defense, Best Lawyers

2023

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2023

Best Lawyer - White Collar Criminal defense, Honolulu Magazine

2023

Best Lawyer - Criminal Defense, Honolulu Magazine

2023

Best Lawyer - Criminal Defense, Best Lawyers

2022

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America

2022

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2021

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2021

Best Lawyers of America, Best Lawyers of America

2020

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America

2020

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2019

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2019

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America

2019

Best Lawyer - Criminal Defense and White Collar Criminal defense, Honolulu Magazine

2018

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America

2018

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2018

AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

2018

Best Lawyer - Criminal Defense and White Collar Criminal defense, Honolulu Magazine

2017

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America

2017

Super Lawyer, Hawaii Super Lawyer

2017

Best Lawyer - Criminal Defense and White Collar Criminal defense, Honolulu Magazine

2016

AV Client Review 5.0 of of 5.0, Martindale-Hubbell

2016

Lawyer of the Year -White Collar Crime, Honolulu Magazine

2016

Super Lawyer, Hawaii Super Lawyer

2016

Best Lawyers, Honolulu Magazine

2015

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America

2015

Super Lawyer, Hawaii Super Lawyer

2015

Lawyer of the Year -General Criminal Defense, Honolulu Magazine

2014

Super Lawyer, Hawaii Super Lawyer

2014

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in America

2013

Super Lawyer, Hawaii Super Lawyer

2013

Listed, Best Lawyers in America

2013

Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who In American Law

2012

Best Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America

2012

Best Lawyers, Honolulu Magazine

2012

Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who In American Law

2012

Super Lawyer, Hawaii Super Lawyer

2011

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers

2011

AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

2011

Super Lawyer, Hawaii Super Lawyer

2011

Best Lawyers, Honolulu Magazine

2011

Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who In American Law

2010

Super Lawyer, Hawaii Super Lawyer

2010

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers

2010

AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

2010

Best Lawyers, Honolulu Magazine

2010

Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who In American Law

2009

Super Lawyer, Hawaii Super Lawyer

2009

AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

2009

Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who In American Law

2009

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers

2009

Best Lawyers, Honolulu Magazine

2008

Super Lawyer, Hawaii Super Lawyer

N/A

AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

Work Experience

2024 - Present

Founder/President, Harrison Law Center, A law Corporation

2005 - Present

Lecturer & Volunteer Attorney, William S. Richardson School of Law

1982 - 2024

Partner, Harrison & Matsuoka

1981 - 1982

Associate, Rolhfing, Robertson & Smith

Associations

2000 - Present

American Inns of Court IV, Hawaii

Bencher

1981 - Present

Hawaii State Bar Association

Member

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Lifetime Member

Association of Trial Lawyers of America

Member

Hawaii Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Member

American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics

Member

1994 - 1995

Judicial Selection Commission, State of Hawaii

Chair

1989 - 1990

Association of Plaintiffs Lawyers of Hawaii

Board of Governors

1982 - 2020

New Jersey State Bar Association

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

State of Hawai’i v. Joel H. White, 141 Hawai’i 502 (2018)

The Appellate court agreed with the defense that the defendant deserved a new trial.

State of Hawaii v. Stan’s Contracting, 111 Hawai‘i 17, 31, 137 P.3d 331, 345 (2006)

The Hawai'i Supreme Court agreed with the defense and the trial court and affirmed the dismissal of the charges.

State of Hawai’i v. Susan Chin, 135 Hawai’i 437, 353 P.3d 979 (2015)

Case reversed on juror misconduct and failure of court to conduct hearing on the issue.

State of Hawai’i v. Ramos-Saunders, 135 Hawai’i 299, 349 P.3d 406 (2015)

The Appeals court agreed with the defense and the trial court and affirmed the dismissal.

United States v. Aikins, 946 F.2d 608 (1990)

The Court of Appeals overturned the conviction noting that the jury was invalidly selected, requiring a new trial for defendants.

Sample Appellate Cases

See More Legal Cases

Education

1981

William S. Richardson School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1981

University of Hawaii

MA - Masters

1977

University of Hawaii

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2016

Hawai'i Innocence Project Eyewitness Identification Issues

2015

Annual Talk to Graduate Division of U.H. Library Studies

Patriot Act and its Effect on Privacy Rights of Librarians and Library Users

Publications

1993

National Business Institute, Inc. ["NBI"] Arbitrating & Trying the Automobile Case in Hawai'i

1992

National Business Institute, Inc. ["NBI"] Criminal Defense Litigation in Hawai'i

1991

National Business Institute, Inc. ["NBI"] Trying the Automobile Injury case in Hawai'i

Languages

English

Activity

2

Legal Answers

2

Legal Guides

Legal Guides

Video Legal Guide

What is Manslaughter, Negligent Homicide and Assault?

11 Aug 2022
Legal Guide

First Amendment Rights

18 Mar 2016
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