Overview
Suhyeon Burns is an associate in the firm’s litigation department, where her practice spans a broad range of complex commercial litigation, real estate and construction litigation, and trust and estate litigation. Suhyeon brings significant academic and professional experience to her practice, grounded in strong legal research, writing, and advocacy skills. She works closely with clients to understand their objectives and combines thorough analysis, creative and practical problem-solving, and clear communication to effectively deliver the best possible outcomes.
Suhyeon graduated from the William S. Richardson School of Law in 2023, where she served as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the University of Hawai‘i Law Review, a Teaching Assistant for legal writing and criminal law, and a Research Assistant and Scholar Advocate for Professor Eric K. Yamamoto, with whom she co-authored law review articles on reparative justice. She also earned CALI Excellence for the Future Awards for the highest grade in Torts, Lawyering Fundamentals I, and Legal Research.
Her judicial and public sector experience includes externing for Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald of the Hawai‘i Supreme Court, clerking for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawai‘i, and working with the Hawai‘i State Legislature. She is originally from South Korea and fluent in Korean.
Experience
- Judicial Extern for Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald, Hawai‘i Supreme Court (Ret.)
- Law Clerk, United States Attorney’s Office, District of Hawai‘i
- Co-Editor-in-Chief, University of Hawai‘i Law Review
- Teaching Assistant for Lawyering Fundamentals I and Criminal Law
- Research Assistant & Scholar Advocate for Professor Eric K. Yamamoto
- Served as staff for the Hawai‘i State Legislature, assisting a former Representative and Finance Committee Chair, and working with the House Majority Communications Office.
- Completed a legislative internship in Washington, D.C., supporting a former Hawai‘i Congresswoman.
- Obtained a $9 million mechanic’s lien for a general contractor against a major timeshare resort in Maui following a two-day probable cause hearing.
- Obtained early summary judgment dismissing all claims against former and current members of the board of directors of a religious nonprofit accused of violating HRS Chapter 414D.
- Represented the founder and president of a leading Pacific-region seafood distributor in complex, multi-venue, bet-the-company partnership and derivative litigation involving claims of noncompete violations and breach of fiduciary duties; successfully settled out of court.
- Represented developers and contractors in construction defect and project management disputes, mechanic’s lien claims, personal injury and product liability claims, licensing and permitting issues, and related risk management and litigation strategies.
- Litigated title disputes, adverse possession and prescriptive easement claims, encroachment and covenant enforcement disputes, escrow liabilities, partition actions, land use and real property non-disclosure issues, and other real estate ownership issues.
- Represented landlords in commercial and residential landlord-tenant disputes, including lease enforcement, eviction proceedings, and rent recovery actions.
- Represented lenders and condominium associations in complex foreclosure proceedings and successfully defended against wrongful foreclosure claims.
- Advised and represented Trustees, Beneficiaries, and Personal Representatives regarding various fiduciary duty claims, spousal elective share claims, real estate transactions, and estate administration matters.
- Represented employers in defense of wrongful termination, discrimination and retaliation claims.
- “Apology & Reparation: The Jeju Tragedy Retrials and the Japanese American Coram Nobis Cases as Catalysts for Reparative Justice,” 45 U. Haw. L. Rev. 5 (2022) (co-authored with Eric K. Yamamoto).
- “Apology & Reparation II: United States Engagement with Near-Final Stages of Jeju 4.3 Social Healing,” 45 U. Haw. L. Rev. 77 (2022) (co-authored with Eric K. Yamamoto & Taylor Takeuchi).
Honors
- CALI Excellence for the Future Awards: Torts, Lawyering Fundamentals I, and Legal Research
Affiliations
- Hawaii State Bar Association, Member
- Hawaii State Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Legal Lines Volunteer, 2025-present
- Phi Delta Phi International Legal Honor Society