Associate Michael Kest

Michael Kest is an associate with Allen & Murphy Law. Although he is a Florida native, he began his career as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the Hawai’i County Prosecutor’s Office, where he gained valuable trial experience.

He was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2006 and The Hawai’i Bar in 2007 and is also admitted to practice in the Federal Courts. Michael is involved in the legal industry, having served as a vice president of the Hawai’i County Bar Association. He also worked in a legal clinic to provide pro-bono / volunteer legal services to those in need in Honolulu.

He received his Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law in 2006 and was a member of the National Championship Trial Team and the Regional Championship Trial Team, in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Michael was president of the Maritime Law Society and was selected to serve as an ambassador to Stetson Law School. He was the recipient of the Hearne Environmental Law Award and was included in the 2005-2006 Who’s Who of American Law Students directory. Michael attended undergraduate college at Florida State University where he played football and served on the Student Advisory and Conduct Boards. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 2000.

In addition to practicing law, Michael is an experienced SCUBA instructor with over 5000 dives. He served as a Divemaster in West Palm Beach in 2001 and became a NAUI Instructor in 2002. While living in Hawaii, he worked at the Diving Safety Office at the University of Hawaii training scientific divers. He also takes an active role in his community, having served as an assistant football coach for a local high school. He has been a life-long member of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church. In 2006, after graduating from law school, he got married, passed the Florida Bar, and moved to Hawai`i where he took and passed the Hawai`i bar. Michael and his wife, Amber, are expecting their first child in June of 2009.