Formby will fill the position previously held by Barry Fukunaga, who is now the director of the state Department of Transportation.

Formby is the president and treasurer of Frame Formby and O'Kane Attorneys at Law and serves as a senior trial lawyer. His clients include several Hawai'i companies that provide shipping, cargo, marine transportation, and dredging services, as well cruise lines and other harbor users, a news release from administration of Gov. Linda Lingle said.

"Mike has extensive experience in working with Hawai'i's maritime community, which has given him a strong understanding of the diverse needs of harbor users throughout the state," Lingle said in the release.

Formby previously served as managing partner of Alcantara, Frame and Formby, and was an associate attorney for the Law Offices of Michael F. McCarthy. In the 1980s, he worked as a contracting officer for the U.S. Air Force, serving at Hickam Air Force Base as well as Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts.

Formby is an adjunct professor of admiralty law at the University of Hawai'i William S. Richardson School of Law. He has also served as an adjunct professor of business law at Hawai'i Pacific University.