Presidents' Messages


November 2019
Thankful for the Dedicated Service of our HSBA Members

The upcoming Thanksgiving holiday gives good reason to reflect upon all that we as members of the HSBA have to be grateful for, especially as each of us enjoys the privileges of practicing law everyday in our wonderfully diverse communities throughout Hawai‘i. Please allow me to convey a heartfelt - “Ippei Nihei Deebiru!” – thank you very much in the Okinawan language to you, the many HSBA members for your past and future consistent and dedicated pro bono and community service, particularly where you have come forward in response to the pleas to deliver such services in collaborative programs supported by the HSBA.

In this regard, we are thankful for the stalwart HSBA members in every judicial circuit and county; in Lihue, Kauai, Wailuku, Maui, downtown Honolulu and Kapolei on Oahu, Kona and Hilo on the Big Island; who regularly devote their time and volunteer at the various courthouses to provide free legal information in the self-help centers (SHCs), and pro bono discrete legal advice in the access to justice rooms (ATJ rooms). Since 2011, over 26,940 customers have been served, by 659 volunteer attorneys. As part of the HSBA – Delivery of Legal Services to the Public Committee, I have read the monthly reports from each of the SHCs and ATJ rooms, including summaries of user survey responses and can state, emphatically, that the services delivered have had meaningful impacts in addressing the circumstances faced by SHC users and ATJ room clients.

We also understand that the burden of sustaining services is greater on each of the Neighbor Islands where the demand is high, users may face long travel distances from rural areas to get to the SHCs, and we are heavily reliant upon far fewer HSBA members than on Oahu. Our schedule for Neighbor Island visits has the HSBA Board of Directors looking forward to convening our monthly board meeting next week Thursday, November 21st at the Keahuolu Courthouse in Kona, including seeing the recently dedicated Chief Judge Ronald Ibarra Self-Help Center, and fellowship with West Hawaii Bar Association members; an opportune time to thank them in person for their service. The Board of Directors will schedule meetings on Kauai, Maui and in Hilo again, in the future.

Thank you also to the dozens of HSBA volunteer attorneys who, just yesterday, in support of the Judiciary’s “Courts In The Community” program, accompanied approximately 500 students from Campbell, Kapolei, Pearl City, Waianae and Waipahu high schools to the Waipahu High School gymnasium and observed oral argument before the Hawai‘i Supreme Court in the case of State of Hawai‘i v. Baker. To prepare for the oral argument, the attorneys went into the classrooms at each of these high schools and taught the students the basics about the judicial system, appellate and criminal procedure, the facts and procedural history of the Baker case, and helped the students conduct their own mock oral argument. And once again, Tanioka’s Seafood and Catering provided each of the students an ono bento lunch and the Tanioka Charity Foundation made another monetary donation to the HSBF in support of the Courts In Community Program. Ippei Nihei Deebiru!

- Derek R. Kobayashi, HSBA President

Events

• Brews & News - November 22, 2019

The YLD wishes a warm welcome and congratulations to the newly admitted attorneys sworn into the Hawaii bar! In honor of the new admittees, the YLD, Solo & Small Firm Section, and the American Judicature Society (“AJS”), are hosting the Brews & News social from 5:30-7:40 pm on Friday, November 22, 2019 at Square Barrels featuring hosted appetizers and brews, while supplies last. Space is limited. This event is open to members of the YLD, Solo & Small Firm Section, and the AJS, who RSVP in advance.

• Results of the #HiFit2Practice Well Being Challenge

Congratulations to all who participated in the #HiFit2Practice Well Being Challenge for the month of October! We enjoyed seeing participants rise to the challenge with new workouts, mental wellness activities, cooking with healthy ingredients, and much more. Thank you all participants for making a commitment to your well-being. The YLD and SCD are pleased to announce the top-three winners of the #HiFit2Practice Well Being Challenge: Maria Fagerstroem-Ryder (First Place), Derek Kobayashi (Second Place), and Elizabeth Chan (Third Place). Way to go, Maria, Derek, and Elizabeth!

Projects

• Legal Lines for November

Thank you to Coates Frey Tanimoto & Gibson, our November Legal Lines Sponsor! Special thanks to volunteers Noah Gibson, Greg Frey, John Hughes, Tom Tanimoto, Shannon Hackett, and Richard J. Sakoda for volunteering your time. We appreciate your continued support of the Legal Lines program.

• Junior Judges

Thank you to Junior Judges Chair and YLD Oahu Director Daniel Padilla, YLD Hilo Director Kelden Waltjen, YLD Maui Director Jamil Newirth, and the many attorneys who volunteered for the YLD’s Junior Judges Program, including: Randall Albright, Stephen Atwell, Cassie Bagay, Alisa Auzenne, Heipua Ah Loy, Magdalena Bajon, Brit Barker, Jessica Domingo, Stephen Frye, Tracy Fukui, Joanne Hicks, Tiffany Kaeo, Krisna Kay, Wookie Kim, Daniel Lam, Shaunda Liu, Greg Lui-Kwan, Herbert Mukai, Jamil Newirth, Jeff Ng, Daniel Padilla, Sharon Paris, Laurel Pepe, Matthew Prellberg, Mitch Roth, Christopher Rothfus, Adrienne Shergill, Scott Shishido, Kevin Soong, Roland Talon, Tom Tanimoto, Ronald Tang, Suzanna Tiapula, Steven Uejo, Kelden Waltjen, Sylvia Wan, Matthew Weyer, Jennifer Wharton, Shawn Yamada, and Jessica Yamashita. Thanks to the support of our attorney volunteers, the Junior Judges program served nearly 2,000 students statewide.

Other Opportunities

Have a request, idea, or opportunity that you’d like to share? Contact me or any YLD officer/director to discuss. Visit our webpage for more information. Don’t forget to follow @yldhawaii on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more news and updates!

- Summer H. Kaiawe, HSBA YLD President