De Costa Hempey is the premier law firm on Kauai for complex litigation.  Our lawyers include a former Hawaii Judge Per Diem and the Former Kauai Prosecuting Attorney. All of our lawyers have been named to SuperLawyers and/or have a perfect 10 AVVO rating. We know how to practice law on Kauai.

(808) 632-2444

Craig A. DeCosta

Craig De Costa is a partner at De Costa Hempey.  He is the former elected Prosecuting Attorney for the County of Kauai.  After 12 years as a prosecutor having handled every type of case in that office from traffic tickets to murder trials, Mr. De Costa went into private practice in December 2008.  He is one of the most experienced trial lawyers on Kauai.  Mr. De Costa is on the Hawaii Defender Council. He serves on the Kauai Tax-Appeals Board of Review. Mr. De Costa was born and raised on Kauai.  Mr. De Costa has a perfect 10 rating on AVVO and is a member of the National College of DUI Defense.

Daniel G. Hempey

Daniel Hempey is a partner at De Costa Hempey. He is a retired Judge Per Diem in the Kauai Court.  Mr. Hempey was awarded the 2019 Hawaii State Bar Association’s Champion for Social Justice Award.  

Mr. Hempey works primarily on auto injuries, contract disputes, writing appeals in the Hawaii Supreme Court and Intermediate Court of Appeals, and civil rights cases including sexual harassment and Native Hawaiian rights. He has won numerous precedent-setting and published appeals in the Hawaii Supreme Court.

He has dedicated much of his legal career to public justice with a prolific history of pro bono work. Mr. Hempey began his career in 1990 as a public defender in Montgomery County, Maryland, and later worked as a trial attorney for the Private Defender program in San Mateo County, California. He has practiced law on Kauai since 2000.  Mr. Hempey served as a judge pro tempore in Alameda, California and served for several years on Kauai as a Judge Per Diem in the Kauai Family Court. Mr. Hempey is licensed to practice law in Hawaii, California, New York, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.  He has also practiced law in Maryland and Virginia.

Michelle L. Premeaux

Michelle Premeaux is an associate attorney at De Costa Hempey was admitted to the Hawaii Bar in 2011. She formerly worked as a deputy prosecuting attorney on the island of Kauai. Attorney Premeaux has extensive practice in complex civil litigation on both Kauai and Oahu. Attorney Premeaux practices primarily in the areas of complex civil litigation, criminal defense and civil rights, including sex discrimination.

Megan Deets:

Megan Deets is the firm’s Senior Paralegal. Ms. Deets has worked with attorney Hempey for over 15 years.  Ms. Deets graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Oregon State University. She assists primarily in civil rights cases, criminal defense, complex civil litigation, and appeals, and applies a meticulous attention to detail to each and every case.

Trina E. Sonoda:

Trina Sonada was born and raised on the island of Kauai. Ms. Sonada is a legal assistant at De Costa Hempey LLC.  She has worked in the firms criminal defense department assisting Craig A. De Costa since 2014. Prior to joining De Costa Hempey, Ms. Sonada worked on the mainland specializing in criminal law, civil litigation and probate law.