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David Callies

Professor David L. Callies of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law will receive the 2017 Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Prize in October from the William and Mary Property Rights Project. Callies will receive this prestigious prize during the project’s 14th annual conference to be held at William and Mary Law School in Williamsburg, Virginia, October 12–13.

Callies, a prolific scholar whose work explores land use, property and state and local government law, has lectured around the world and written or collaborated on more than 90 articles and 20 books. He has been a member of the American Law Institute since 1990 and is the Benjamin A. Kudo Professor of Law at UH Mānoa.

Callies gained fame as a leading expert on land use and development in Hawaiʻi early in his distinguished career, said Lynda L. Butler, chancellor professor of law at William and Mary Law School and director of the school’s property rights project, but his research interests have become truly international in scope over time and encompass land use control, eminent domain and sustainable development in numerous other countries.

UH School of Law Dean Avi Soifer called the prize a much-deserved honor for Professor Callies that not only resonates in legal circles, but in the wider business community. “David Callies brings tremendous breadth to our offerings in business and land law and his presence within this constellation of prize winners speaks to the importance of his scholarship,” said Soifer. ”Our students are very fortunate to be receiving world-class instruction in the complex areas in which he excels, from one of the world’s great experts.”

Callies is renowned as a scholar, teacher, lawyer, mentor said Robert H. Thomas, an attorney and director at Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert in Honolulu. “For four decades, David Callies has shaped property law, and the practice of property law, as a legal scholar, practitioner and advocate. His work has also integrated property law’s traditions with more modern concepts such as environmental concerns and the public trust.”

Callies’ previous recognitions include The Owners’ Counsel of America’s Crystal Eagle Award, the Lambda Alpha International Member of the Year Award and the Jefferson Fordham Lifetime Achievement Award.

About the Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Prize


The prize is named in honor of the lifetime contributions to property rights of Toby Prince Brigham and Gideon Kanner, and it is presented annually to a scholar, practitioner, or jurist whose work affirms the fundamental importance of property rights.

For more on Callies read the UH School of Law news story.

—By Beverly Creamer

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