David Schutter's old friends, tennis buddies, fellow lawyers — even opposing ones — and family members turned out yesterday at Kawaiaha'o Church to remember a man whose fiery temperament was matched only by his generosity and zest for life.

About 150 people attended the famed defense attorney's commemoration and remembrance, which had moments both jovial and somber.

Schutter, 64, died July 10 following a stroke last month. He was known for his willingness to represent less-fortunate individuals as well as defendants in some of Hawai'i's most high-profile criminal cases.

"He had a presence that lit up a room when he walked in," said Hawai'i Supreme Court Justice James E. Duffy, a longtime friend who gave Schutter's eulogy. "He was a compassionate man who championed underdogs."

Last night a painting of Schutter — a slight grin on his face, leaning over a desk with fingers steepled, as if listening to the claims of his next potential client — was positioned at the altar and decorated with floral arrangements. Hawaiian hymns and 10 hanging American flags greeted the wide range of guests as they walked into the church.

Speakers joked that Schutter's impassioned, freewheeling defense of clients always had him flirting with trouble.

Merv Lopes, the former Chaminade basketball coach, remembered being asked by Schutter to put in a good word to a Big Island judge who was considering throwing the lawyer in jail for contempt. Lopes said he did his best, but Schutter ended up behind bars for about 30 days anyway.

That wasn't the only time he ran afoul of a judge, friends remembered.

"His temper was a problem," Duffy said. "His brilliant mind was not an asset in his interpersonal relations."

For that reason, all guests were asked by Kahu Curt Kekuna during his welcoming address to introduce themselves to someone sitting nearby and to tell them, "I'm not perfect." To that, the other person would reply, "I know."

Former basketball coach Tony Sellito recalled his friend's generosity when Schutter, a huge sports junkie, sponsored a Hawai'i youth basketball team to play in a Las Vegas tournament in 1986.

"He paid for everything there was to pay for," Sellito said. "Travel, room and board, food."

Schutter's son Tony said he hoped people could remember his father for the man he was, and not for his occupation.

"From the time I was 5 years old, he coached me in baseball and basketball, despite what a busy lawyer he was," Tony Schutter said. "If he was arguing a trial and I had a game, he would tell the judge that he needed to recess. I know he was by far the busiest parent on the team."

Schutter's other sons, Chris, Stefan and Devin, also were on hand for the ceremony.