Joanne Grimes is a Partner in the firm’s Honolulu Office and is licensed to practice law in Hawaii and Guam. She has three decades of experience in representing institutional businesses, nonprofit organizations, and private and charitable trusts in matters involving governance, employment & employee benefits, procurement, contracts, proprietary rights protection, fiduciary duties and trust administration. Ms. Grimes is actively involved in civic and community service, with past leadership roles as President of Hawaii Women Lawyers, President of the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, and Chair of Board of PBS Hawai'i.
Distinctions
- Named in The Best Lawyers in America 2025 Honolulu "Lawyer of the Year" for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law; and for Nonprofit/Charities Law
- Selected by attorney peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2025 for Administrative/Regulatory Law, Corporate Governance Law, Employee Benefits (ERISA) law, and Nonprofits/Charities Law; listed since 2010
- Pacific Business News 2019 Women Who Mean Business Honoree
- Ranked in Chambers USA, Hawaii: Labor & Employment since 2018
- Ranked in Chambers High Net Worth (HNW) “The World’s Leading High Net Worth Advisers" since 2018
- 2016 Outstanding Women Lawyer Award, Hawaii Women Lawyers
- Highest “AV” Professional Rating, Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
- HONOLULU Magazine’s 2016 Lawyer of the Year distinction for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
- Rhoda V. Lewis Award for Public Service
- Outstanding Law Student, National Association of Women Lawyers
- West Publishing Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement
- Carl K. Mirikitani Scholarship Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement
- American Jurisprudence Awards for Advanced Legal Writing and Constitutional Law II
Affiliations
- Access to Justice Commission HRPC Rule 6.1 Task Force
- CFP Board Emeritus®
- City & County of Honolulu Ethics Board of Appeals
- Daughters of Hawaii
- Guam Bar Association
- Hawaii Justice Foundation (former Secretary and Director)
- Hawaii State Bar Association
- Hawaii Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism
- Hawaii Women Lawyers (former President and Director)
- Legal Aid Society of Hawaii (former President and Director)
- PBS Hawai'i (former Chair and Director)