Meet Attorney Victor J. Bakke

Victor J. Bakke is originally from Seattle where he graduated with honors from the University of Washington in 1988. In 1991, Mr. Bakke graduated from law school at the University of California at Berkeley "Boalt Hall." Mr. Bakke is licensed to practice law in all State and Federal courts in Hawaii and in Washington State and has also handled Federal cases in California and Nevada.

Prior to focusing his practice on criminal law, Mr. Bakke served as a legal intern for the U.S. Department of Justice in American Samoa, as an extern to U.S. Federal District Court Judge David A. Ezra and as a law clerk to the Honorable Hawaii Supreme Court Associate Justice Yoshimi Hayashi.

Mr. Bakke was also recruited to serve as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu where he served one term under the former and current Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro and a second term under the former Prosecutor and former Mayor of Honolulu, Peter Carlisle.

During his time as a criminal attorney for the government, Mr. Bakke personally charged, prosecuted and tried thousands of criminal cases. Over the years, Mr. Bakke's high success rate and outstanding trial skills resulted in his being one of the few attorneys ever to receive the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney's highest honor the "Award of Excellence" in 1995.

In 2000, Mr. Bakke joined the law office of Paul J. Cunney where he spent 12 years as the firm's top trial attorney. Mr. Bakke is not only known for his outstanding trial skills, but he is extremely well known and respected for his uniquely developed and proven strategy for defending those persons accused of sexual assault and other sex related offenses. Mr. Bakke's high acquittal record and success rate in these and other areas has earned him the reputation as being one of Hawaii's overall top criminal defense trial lawyers.

During his esteemed career, Mr. Bakke has successfully tried and defended thousands of criminal cases of all types in the Hawaii State Courts and the Federal Courts for the District of Hawaii and the Northern District of California. Mr. Bakke and many of his cases have been profiled in such local, national and international media as NBC news, CBS news, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, the Associated Press, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Herald, the Japan Times, the Taipei Times, the Rocky Mountain News, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Contra Costa Times, the Honolulu Advertiser, the Honolulu Star Bulletin, the Honolulu Star Advertiser, the Honolulu Weekly, the Maui news, the Kauai Garden Island news, KITV 4 news, KHON 2 news, KGMB 9 news, and KHNL 8 news, just to name a few.

Outside of the courtroom, Mr. Bakke regularly provides expert legal commentary and opinion to KITV 4 news, KHON 2 news and the Honolulu Star Advertiser. Mr. Bakke has also served as a panelist for the University of Hawaii's public access television show "You and the Law" and has been a guest lecturer at the University of Hawaii's Richardson School of Law and Hawaii Pacific University. Mr. Bakke is also a contributing member of the Hawaii Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Decades of Experience. 3,000+ Cases Won.

Victor Bakke is licensed to practice law in all state and federal courts in Hawaii and Washington. He has also handled federal cases in California, Nevada and the United States Military Courts Martial. To date, he has made more than 6,000 court appearances.

Originally from Seattle, Mr. Bakke graduated with honors from the University of Washington in 1988 and received his law degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1991. While attending Berkeley, he served as a legal intern for the U.S. Department of Justice in American Samoa and a judicial extern to United States Federal District Court Judge David A. Ezra.

In 1992, he was chosen to serve as a law clerk on the Hawaii Supreme Court by the Honorable Hawaii Supreme Court Associate Justice Yoshimi Hayashi. Following his judicial clerkship, Mr. Bakke was recruited to serve as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu, where his outstanding trial skills earned him the "Award of Excellence."

After leaving the prosecutor's office, Mr. Bakke went into private practice to focus on criminal defense. Over the years, he has made over 6,000 court appearances and successfully tried and defended thousands of cases. His aggressiveness and high acquittal rate has earned him a reputation for being one of Hawaii's top overall criminal defense trial lawyers.

Featured in Local, National & International Media Outlets

Mr. Bakke does more than just win trials in the courtroom. He also provides expert legal commentary and opinions in high profile cases to local news outlets such as KITV 4 news, KHON 2 news, KHNL news and the Honolulu Star Advertiser. But that's only in Hawaii.

He has also been profiled in national & international media outlets like:

As an educator, Mr. Bakke has been a guest lecturer at the University of Hawaii's Richardson School of Law and Hawaii Pacific University. He is also a member of the Hawaii Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and has conducted legal training for its members at its annual continuing legal education conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mr. Bakke has also been a repeat panelist on the University of Hawaii's public access television show "You and the Law."

At the Federal level, Attorney Victor Bakke was recently chosen by Chief Federal District Court Judge Susan O. Mollway to serve a three-year term as an attorney delegate to the Court's annual Federal Judicial Conference. He is also serving his second term as appointed counsel for the Court under the Federal Criminal Justice Act for the District of Hawaii.

To discuss your case with Attorney Bakke in a free and  
confidential consultation, please do not hesitate to contact our firm.