H. Mitchel "Mitch" D'Olier.

H. Mitchell "Mitch" D'Olier

For the past 15 years, H. Mitchell "Mitch" D'Olier - a partner with Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel - has served as legal counsel for Hawaiian Airlines. D'Olier was involved with everything from corporate financing and structuring of aircraft sales to

working closely with the company's acquisition by a group led by Peter Ueberroth and Tom Talbot in 1989. D'Olier was in Los Angeles in May when HAL President and COO John Ueberroth dropped a bombshell: Ueberroth would be replacing Talbot as chairman and CEO of the interisland airline, and he asked D'Olier to become its new president and COO. D'Olier agonized for three weeks over the career move. When his appointment was finally announced in July, D'Olier was stunned by the feedback. "What heartened me was the groundswell of support," he says, although he did get some ribbing from folks who said they didn't know whether to offer congratulations or condolences. After all, HAL lost more than $120 million in 1990, and was the target this year of a "60 Minutes" segment questioning the safety of its aircraft. D'Olier was scheduled to make the move to Hawaiian on August 1, with his cases at Goodsill being divided among 12 lawyers at the firm, a tremendous reorganization task coordinated by tax attorneys Michael Shea and Michale O'Malley.