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Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel Strengthen Maritime and Technology Practices by Adding Formby and Pierce

Aug 26, 2011

(HONOLULU, HAWAI’I – August 26, 2011) – Two senior attorneys join Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel, bringing additional experience in maritime law and technology transactions to the firm.

Michael D. Formby joins Goodsill as a partner, following an interim appointment as director of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation overseeing Hawai‘i’s highways, airports and ten commercial harbors on six islands. He also served as deputy director for the Harbors Division. Prior to government service, Formby was managing director of Frame Formby & O’Kane, a local law firm focusing in maritime and commercial litigation. Prior to Frame Formby & O’Kane, Formby was a partner at the law firm of Alcantara Frame & Formby, Formby is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force where he specialized in government contracts and the procurement of aircraft and classified software.

Formby was selected as a Best Lawyer in Hawai‘i in the field of maritime law in 2007. An adjunct professor of Maritime Law at the William S. Richardson School of Law from 2000 and 2008, Formby received the Outstanding Adjunct Professor Award in the fall of 2006.

As part of his public service to the State of Hawai‘i, Formby chaired the Hawai‘i Employer-Union Trust Fund, served on the Hawai‘i Community Development Authority (HCDA) and the Aloha Tower Development Corporation, chaired the Large Capacity Ferry (“Superferry”) Oversight Task Force and served as vice chair of the Hawai‘i Land Use Commission. He frequently volunteers and provides pro bono services to Volunteer Legal Services of Hawai‘i.

Shannon E. Pierce joins the firm as counsel, concentrating her practice in the areas of technology transactions, with an emphasis on licensing, intellectual property (IP), internet and ecommerce, mergers and acquisitions, and contract drafting and negotiations. She has considerable experience with due diligence and advising start-up and growth stage companies on managing and protecting IP rights and portfolios. She prepares her clients for successful growth (fundings/financings) and/or a preferred exit strategy (asset sales, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures or initial public offerings).

Pierce earned her juris doctor from Boston University School of Law (cum laude); practiced in the Technology Transactions Group at the Silicon Valley firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, then managed her own practice in Hawai‘i and California before joining Goodsill.

Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel LLP, one of the oldest and largest law firms in Hawai‘i, was founded in 1878 and today has nearly 70 attorneys. Representing local, national and international clients, Goodsill lawyers handle a wide range of civil law matters, extending personalized legal services with cutting-edge resources. For more information about the firm, please visit www.goodsill.com.

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