News, Events & Awards
Posted on February 6th, 2019

Joanne Lo Grimes Announced as 2019 Women Who Mean Business Honoree

Pacific Business News honors exceptional women every year across the state who are leaving their mark on Hawaii and beyond. These business leaders come from a range of industries, from education to hospitality to law.

This year, Joanne Lo Grimes was selected as someone who stood out as a leader who made great strides in her industry and contributed to the well-being of her community.

At Carlsmith, Joanne built her commercial practice with high-profile clients and cases. Her business experience and legal expertise in business law, employment and employee benefits, procurement and contracts, tax and trust administration, allows her to serve a multitude of clients in a broad, strategic role.

Outside of work, Joanne contributes to causes that uphold legal ethics and promote access to legal services in the community. She served for nearly 10 years on the board of the Hawaii Justice Foundation, which provides grants to organizations that offer legal services to those in need. Currently, she serves as president of Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, the largest legal aid nonprofit in the state.

Joanne’s numerous achievements and activities at the firm and within the community made her a standout partner at Carlsmith. In 2017, she was named the first woman chair in the firm’s 161 years. She works with co-chair Jon Yamamura to guide the direction of the firm.