Three Carlsmith Ball Attorneys Promoted to Partner

Carlsmith Ball is pleased to announce that Derek B. Simon, Ian R. Wesley-Smith, and Patrick K. Wong have been promoted to partner in the firm’s Honolulu, Hilo, and Kona offices, respectively.

Simon is a member of Carlsmith Ball's Real Estate and Project Development practice group. His practice focuses on land use, real property, and administrative law. Simon received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Hawaiʻi, William S. Richardson School of Law, and B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prior to joining Carlsmith in 2016, he served as a legal extern for the Honorable J. Michael Seabright of the United States District Court, District of Hawaiʻi, and the Honorable Michael D. Wilson of the Supreme Court of Hawaiʻi. He was most recently selected by attorney peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch 2022 for Real Estate law, which he was also previously listed in 2021.

Wesley-Smith joined Carlsmith Ball in 2016 and is a member of the firm's Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution practice group. He is located in the firm's Hilo office and focuses on commercial litigation, including matters involving breach of contract, construction performance and defects, business entity disputes, intellectual property rights, and business torts. Wesley-Smith received his J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Hawaiʻi, William S. Richardson School of Law, where he was ranked first in his class. He was most recently selected by attorney peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch 2022 for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Commercial Litigation, and previously listed in 2021 for Litigation Construction. In 2020, he received the Hawaiʻi State Bar Association's Kiʻe Kiʻe award for outstanding provision of professional pro bono legal services.

Wong, an experienced attorney, is located in Carlsmith Ball's Kona office. He concentrates his practice in the areas of Administrative & Regulatory Matters, Business & Corporate, Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Real Estate and Development. Most recently, prior to joining Carlsmith in 2019, Wong served as the Corporation Counsel for the County of Maui. Wong received his J.D. degree from the University of Hawaiʻi, William S. Richardson School of Law, and B.A. in Political Science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa. He is admitted to practice law in the state and federal courts of Hawaiʻi, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

“On behalf of the firm, we welcome Derek, Ian, and Pat to the Carlsmith Ball partnership,” said Jon Yamamura, chair of Carlsmith Ball. “They are committed to the firm and our clients, and we look forward to their continued success.”