Overview
Mr. Lang is a partner with the law firm Durrett Lang Morse, LLLP, practicing in the areas of Litigation & Appeals, Real Estate, and Land Use. He also serves as special counsel on cases involving federal civil rights with emphasis on religious land use discrimination. He has repeatedly been recognized by Super Lawyers for his capability in the area of Business Litigation. As counsel to some of the most prominent businesses in Hawai’i, he works diligently to become an integral part of his clients’ operations and handles a broad range of legal issues, including new entity formation, corporate structure and governance, land use, real estate law, business transactions, landlord-tenant law, creditor's rights, and employment law.
First and foremost, Mr. Lang is a trial lawyer with extensive experience in the courtroom handling high stakes matters. He is known as a formidable advocate, and vigorously represents his clients in trial, arbitration, and mediation proceedings, and is skilled in handling complex litigation and evidentiary hearings. Mr. Lang has big firm experience but practices with small firm attention and responsiveness. He is exceptionally well trained having spent his formative years at a major Honolulu law firm and prior to that in the Litigation Department of Holland & Hart LLP.
During law school, Mr. Lang worked as a summer associate in the Las Vegas office of Jones Vargas and as a summer intern in the Denver office of Kutak Rock LLP. He was a member of the Rex E. Lee National Moot Court team in law school and was inducted into the Order of the Barristers. Prior to that, he graduated with honors from BYU with degrees in American Studies and Business Management. He is former and acting Chair of the Hawai‘i Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society and former Assistant Director of the Northwest Region of the Law Society. He is also a former Board Member of the Litigation Section of the Hawai‘i State Bar Association and a member of the Real Property & Financial Services Section. He is also a member of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Mr. Lang grew up internationally, having spent his childhood in Europe and Asia, and travels extensively, focusing his interests on issues involving microeconomic development, applied positive psychology, and comparative religion.
Representative Matters & Transactions
The following opinions are a representative sampling of Mr. Lang's litigation practice:
Montgomery v. eTreppid Techs., LLC, 548 F. Supp. 2d 1175, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 35561 (D. Nev. Apr. 18, 2008); Montgomery v. Etreppid Techs., LLC., 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54339, 2008 WL 2277118 (D. Nev. May 29, 2008); United States v. 753.95 Acres of Land, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65804, 2009 WL 2045706 (D. Nev. July 10, 2009); Chey v. Orbitz Worldwide, Inc., 983 F. Supp. 2d 1219, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 165581, 2013 WL 6145661 (D. Haw. Nov. 21, 2013); Doubletrees Land & Timber, LLC v. Maui Estates Int'l LLC, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71162 (D. Haw. June 1, 2016); Spirit of Aloha Temple v. Cnty. of Maui, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70147 (D. Haw. May 8, 2017); United States ex rel. Atlas Copco Compressors LLC v. RWT LLC, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 75470 (D. Haw. May 17, 2017).
The following are a sampling of matters Mr. Lang has represented clients on:
Corporate counsel for several construction contractors to advise regarding business, construction, labor and employment law, and collection issues.
Advise emerging businesses on entity selection, corporate structure, governance, and fiduciary duties, draft governing documents and serve as corporate counsel.
Draft formation documents for non-profit corporations and applications for tax exempt 501(c)(3) status and advise board on corporate issues.
Represent real property owners on summary possession cases to regain possession of property, and pursue monetary damages.
Represent commercial tenants on leaseholder litigation to prevail on wrongful eviction claims.
Negotiate and draft commercial and residential lease agreements.
Represent sellers on sale of stock or membership interests and advise on transactional and corporate matters.
Represent buyers on acquisition of stock or membership interests and advise on transactional and corporate matters.
Draft real estate acquisition and debt financing documents and advise on transactional and real estate issues.
Represent landowners with regard to conditional use permit and/or variances.
Employment counsel advising organizations on hiring, firing, discipline, and related issues.
Litigation defense for employers facing state court race, age, and gender claims; obtain settlement terms favorable to the employer.
Represent employer in collective bargaining grievances.
Represent company on copyright infringement and business tort litigation involving millions of dollars in claims.
Represent minority shareholders in corporate litigation involving business torts.
Defend employer from federal lawsuits involving race discrimination and obtain favorable settlement terms.
Served as lead trial counsel on behalf of lender to obtain judgment on all counts and award of attorneys’ fees.
Served as lead trial counsel on behalf of company on breach of contract claim to obtain judgment on all counts and award of attorneys’ fees.
Served as employer defense counsel in labor arbitration proceedings to obtain award on behalf of employer.
Credentials
Admissions
State Bar of Hawai‘i (2010).
United States District Court for the District of Hawai‘i (2010).
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2008)
United States District Court for the District of Nevada (2006).
State Bar of Nevada (2006 Inactive).
Memberships
Hawaii State Bar Association.
J. Reuben Clark Law Society (Hawai`i Chapter Chair).
Globalaw, The International Law Group.
Recognized by Super Lawyers in the area of Business Litigation.
Chair, Hawai‘i Chapter, J. Reuben Clark Law Society.
Hawai‘i State Bar Association: Litigation Section (Former Board Member), Real Property & Financial Services Section (Member).
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
Education
Mr. Lang graduated from the J. Reuben Clark Law School and also received his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Brigham Young University.
