Short Biography:
Thomas F. Feeney, Counsellor at Law, admitted to bar in 1991 (Hawai’i) and 2000 (Massachusetts), United States District Court for the Districts of Massachusetts and Hawai’i, United States Courts of Appeals for the First and Ninth Circuits.
Education: Rutgers College (B.A. 1981); University of Hawai’i at Manoa (J.D./M.A. 1991); both graduate degrees earned through a research grant from the Environment and Policy Institute of the East-West Center. In the Spring of 2003, Mr. Feeney taught at Brandeis University’s Legal Studies Program through a Lawrence A. Guberman Teaching Fellowship.
Law Clerk: to the Honorable Robert B. Collings, Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts; to the Honorable Helen Gillmor, Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai’i; to the Honorable Barry M. Kurren, Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai’i; to the Honorable Robert G. Klein, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Hawai’i; and to the Honorable Thomas K. Kaulukukui, Civil Motions/Administrative/Land Court/Tax Appeal Court Judge of the First Circuit Court, State of Hawai’i.
Member: Massachusetts, Boston, Hawai’i, and American Bar Associations.
Publications: “Wage and Hour Update” (2001 and 2002, Pub.: Sterling Educational Seminars); “Discussion of the Overlap of the ADA, FMLA, and Worker’s Compensation Act When Dealing With Absences of Ill, Injured, or Disabled Employees” (2001, Publ.: Sterling Educational Seminars; “Civil Motions Practice” (1992 - Hawai’i Bar Journal).
Practice Areas:
Business/Contract Formation and Litigation for small/medium and family-run Businesses
Construction Industry Transactions and Litigation
Commercial AIA and Home Improvement Contracts
Mechanics Liens, Surety Bond, and Direct Pay Claims and Defense
Bid Protests
Landlord-Tenant - Commercial and Residential Leases and Litigation
Employment Law
Employment Agreements, Non-Disclosure, Non-Solicitation, and Non-Compete Employment Discrimination Claims and Defense
Wage Act Claims and Defenses
ADA Title III Barrier Access Claims and Defense
Mr. Feeney serves also in an Of Counsel capacity for the Baba & Sawada Law Offices in Tokyo, Japan.
Professional Endeavors: Since 1985, Mr. Feeney trained in mediation through the non-profit organization now known as the Mediation Center of the Pacific, training mediators and becoming a Board Member of the Center in 1998-99. With regards to other non-profit community activities, Mr. Feeney was elected to the Board of Directors of the Young Lawyers Division of the Hawai’i State Bar Association and chaired several committees responsible for community services.