Attorneys
Paula S. Nakata
PAULA S. NAKATA was born and raised on Oahu. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a BBA in Management. She obtained her law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law and worked at the University Legal Assistance providing legal assistance to individuals of limited means in her last year of law school. During her summer breaks, she worked at the Law Office of Janice P. Kim which specialized in personal injury cases.
Upon graduation from law school, Ms. Nakata worked at Ing and Lebb with a concentration on landlord tenant, guardianship and family law issues. She transitioned to the Law Offices of Edward R. Lebb with a focus on family law issues, and joined Mitsuyama + Rebman in 2020. Ms. Nakata currently concentrates her practice in drafting QDROs, handling discovery, appeals, and mediation.
Ms. Nakata provided assistance to individuals in the Young Families in Need – GRADS Program and at the Women’s Drop-In Center. In her spare time, she volunteered with Hawaii Speech League and Hawaiian Humane Society.
Jazmine Emerson
Maile Edwards
MAILE EDWARDS grew up on Oahu. She received her B.A. from Oregon State University in 2017 and then worked as Chief of Staff at the Hawaii State Legislature for three years before attending UH Richardson School of Law.
During law school, Ms. Edwards worked in her first two summers as a research assistant and at the Department of Corporation Counsel. She then joined M & R as a Legal Assistant during law school, gaining experience in all aspects of family law, and worked as an intern at William S. Richardson School of Law Refugee and Immigration Law Clinic. Ms. Edwards is now a trial attorney working on family law matters and on civil law cases including contested probate and tort cases.
Ms. Edwards is a member of the Family Law Section of the HSBA. She also volunteers with the Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii clinics. When she's not working, she is out surfing.
Geoffrey Hamilton, Of Counsel
Geoffrey Hamilton joined M & R in 2026 as Of Counsel. He practices family law, emphasizing divorce and child custody. Before co-founding Char Hamilton Taylor & Thom and then Hamilton and Chan LLC, Mr. Hamilton was the partner and co-founder of Hamilton & Taylor (now Taylor Leong & Chee). He began his career as an associate at Chun Kerr & Dodd (now Chun Kerr Dodd Beaman & Wong). He has past experience in securities, real estate/condominium development, limited partnership, corporations, partnerships, construction litigation, and insurance defense.
Mr. Hamilton is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), a Certified Arbitrator with the AAML, a past two-time chair of the Family Law Section and current member of the Board of Directors, and has served on numerous other boards and committees including Hawaii Supreme Court Committee on Divorce Proceedings (2000), Hawaii Defense Lawyers Association Secretary/Director, Honolulu Chapter of American Cancer Society, Board Member.
Mr. Hamilton has also been a featured speaker at four American Bar Association Annual Meetings and has written numerous articles about the psychodynamics of divorce.
Mr. Hamilton is "AV" Rated, listed in Best Lawyers in America every year since 1993, listed by Honolulu Magazine as one of Hawaii's "A+ Attorneys," Lawyer of the Year (2011) and as one of Hawaii's "Best Lawyers."
- Duke University School of Law, Durham, North Carolina
- The College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio
- Riverdale Country School, New York, New York
- Town School, Lick-Wilmerding School, San Francisco, California
Alethea K. Rebman
A Hawaii resident since 1986, firm partner ALETHEA KYOKO REBMAN received a J.D. from Cornell Law School, Specialization in International Legal Affairs, Concentration in Business Law and Regulation. She attended the Cornell-Sorbonne International Law Institute at the University Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and served as Managing Editor of the Legal Information Institute (LII). She was a deputy prosecuting attorney and practiced in trusts and estates before starting a family law and general litigation practice. Her practice is concentrated in divorce, real estate litigation, and torts including personal injury.
Ms. Rebman serves as an arbitrator with the Court Appointed Arbitrator Program (CAAP) and a Volunteer Settlement Master (VSM), and received Outstanding Pro Bono Service recognition for this work from the Hawaii Access to Justice Commission. Memberships include the Family Law Section, the Tax Section, the Real Property Law Section, and the Probate Section of the HSBA, and the Hawaii County Bar Association. She has served on the Family Court Forms Committee and is a speaker at continuing legal education seminars for attorneys and paralegals on topics ranging from taxation and trusts to paralegal procedures, and with partner Dyan Mitsuyama, authored the real estate section of the Hawaii Divorce Manual.
Past or current community involvement includes acting as President of the Kapiolani Park Preservation Society, president of the nonpartisan group Citizen Voice, service on the Advisory Committee of Healthy Democracy Education Project, volunteering at Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii clinics and the Hilo Self Help Clinic, various community efforts, and condominium and private organization boards. Alethea received a Super Lawyers Rising Star Award 2014. She is listed on Best Lawyers for Family Law in Honolulu 2020 - 2024, Best Lawyers in America 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.
In the news: Star Advertiser profile http://www.staradvertiser.com/editorial/alethea-rebman/alethea@mitsuyamaandrebman.com
Dyan K. Mitsuyama
Honolulu native and firm partner DYAN KEIKO MITSUYAMA concentrates her practice in family law matters including divorce, paternity, restraining orders, guardianships, adoptions and child support. She also does some general litigation and is a per diem judge at the District Court. Ms. Mitsuyama has worked for the State of Hawaii Legislature, in the Child Support Enforcement Agency at the Department of Attorney General, and as an attorney for DVCLH, now known as the Domestic Violence Action Center.
Ms. Mitsuyama received her B.A. from the University of Hawaii and her J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law. She is an active member, board member, and two-time chair of the Family Law Section and a member of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Hawaii Women Lawyers, Phi Delta Phi, and the Maui Collaborative Law Group. Ms. Mitsuyama is committed to the improvement and awareness of family law issues in the legal community and in the community at large. She is the co-author of an article titled "Hawaii Family Court Judges Have Heart," published in the Hawaii Bar Journal, and she has educated family law professionals throughout Hawaii through seminars and presentations devoted to issues such as father involvement, infant timesharing, and child alienation. She is a co-author of the real estate section of the Hawaii Divorce Manual.
Ms. Mitsuyama serves as a CAAP arbitrator and a VSM, and was the 2016 & 2019 Chairperson of the Hawaii State Bar Family Law Section. She is a dedicated volunteer with the Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii and the Access to Justice program, as well as the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii and Kids First and various Family Court committees. She is a past Chair of the Legal Aid Society fundraiser, A Taste of Justice, and continues to serve the organization. She is on the Board of the Hawaii Women's Legal Foundation and chaired committees for the 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 galas. For her commitment to these organizations and more, Ms. Mitsuyama earned the Volunteer Legal Services Hawai'i Kahiau Award and has received pro bono and volunteer awards every year. In addition to awards from various organizations, she received a Pro Bono Attorney award from the Hawaii State Bar Association for the past several years. She has been listed on Best Lawyers every year for the past five years. In the news: Star Advertiser's investigative series article as the attorney for a domestic violence victim obtaining an Order for Protection against an HPD officer http://www.staradvertiser.com/hawaii-news/hpd-insists-it-takes-domestic-violence-seriously-but-in-some-cases-its-actions-say-otherwise/#comment-180928
Paralegals and Support Staff
Deanna Salvador, Paralegal
Deanna is a lifelong Hawaii resident. She has over 25 years of experience in civil and family law. She attended Nanakuli High School and then Hawaii Business College. When she is not playing softball or attending her daughter's sports practices and games, she spends most of her time in traffic.
Lana Sims, Paralegal & Office Manager
Lana graduated from Roosevelt High School and attended Leeward Community College. She has worked in the legal field for over fifteen years (and loves it). She is the mother of two boys and a fur baby named Daisy. In her spare time she loves to travel to Japan and collect Hello Kitty everything.
Larena Bustillos, Paralegal
Larena was born and raised in Hawaii, originally from the Island of Kauai. She graduated from Sacred Hearts Academy and completed the Paralegal Associate in Science program at Kapiolani Community College, and has over 30 years of family law experience. She enjoys long walks, hiking, biking and snorkeling.
Carla Myers, Paralegal
carla@mitsuyamaandrebman.com
Carla has worked in the legal field since 1997. In 1998, she earned NALS certification (National Association of Legal Secretaries).
Emi Chrash, Legal Assistant
Emi graduated from San Diego State University with a B.S. in Criminal Justice and minors in Philosophy and Sociology. She worked at M & R during school breaks and is now working full time while preparing for law school.
In memoriam: Maria Oldehaver, Senior Paralegal
Originally from New Zealand, Maria lived in Hawaii since 1987 and worked in the legal field since then, with 30+ years of family law experience both in private practice and for the Domestic Violence Action Center, where she was Supervisor of Legal Support Services. She joined M & R in 2014. She enjoyed spending time with her son, playing games on Facebook, and reading.