I was born and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, obtaining a B.S. in 1968 from Temple University and a law degree in 1971 from Harvard Law School.

I have been admitted to the bars of the State of Pennsylvania in 1971, California in 1973, and Hawaii in 1974.

In the early 1980s, I was a founding member of the Hawaii Academy of Plaintiffs' Attorneys. This organization was committed to preserving the civil justice system and representing the interests of consumers in the State of Hawaii. This organization later merged with the Consumer Lawyers of Hawaii, with which I serve on the Board of Governors.

Over the years, I taught at various trial advocacy seminars sponsored by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, the Hawaii Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Pacific Law Institute, the National Business Institute, and others.

I have been selected annually in the Woodward/White, Inc.'s Best Lawyers in America publication every year from 1995 to 2020.