About Cynthia
Cynthia Hannah-White built an unusual academic foundation for a lawyer. She earned a Bachelor of Science in 1984 from Michigan State University, majoring in biochemistry and physiology. That scientific training preceded a Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School in 1992, where she concentrated in business law and taxation.
Her legal education at Cornell married technical rigor and transactional study. The coursework in business law and tax matters provided tools for advising on corporate structures and tax consequences. The earlier science degree gave her a data-oriented approach to problem solving and an ability to read technical material closely.
After law school she established a practice carried out under the authorities of two state bars. She is licensed to practice in New York and Hawaii. Over the years she has worked on matters that intersect business, tax, and planning. Her membership in WealthCounsel and ElderCounsel places her in national circles that address estate planning and elder law issues. She also maintains membership in the Hawaii State Bar Association.
Colleagues describe her as deliberate in analysis. She examines statutory language, tax rules, and client documents with attention to detail. The combination of tax training and business law study has been useful in structuring transactions, preparing estate plans, and advising trustees and fiduciaries. Her background in the sciences appears in the way she organizes complex information and explains it plainly to clients.
Cynthia has balanced practice responsibilities across two distinct legal environments. New York’s commercial and financial landscape brings different pressures than the island context of Hawaii. Practicing in both jurisdictions requires keeping up with separate procedural rules and professional obligations. Membership in national practice groups helps bridge local practice differences and provides resources for drafting and client education.
She has kept professional affiliations current and uses those networks to consult on technical issues. That approach allows her to draw on peer-reviewed drafting models and continuing education geared toward elder law and estate planning practitioners. Her client work reflects the intersection of business law, taxation, and planning concerns.
Today she remains active in legal associations and continues to practice law in New York and Hawaii, handling matters that draw on her business law, tax training, and estate-planning resources.
