Hear From the HSBA Executive Director

Aloha,

I hope everyone has been able to stay safe during these devastating storms over the last few months. Our state was awaiting a Presidential Declaration of Emergency under the Stafford Act, which enables various benefits to become accessible. That declaration was recently made last week. As legal needs and potential disaster relief benefits continue to emerge, I hope to call upon you when volunteer opportunities arise.

I am just returning from this year’s Western States Bar Conference, held in beautiful Waikoloa on Hawaii island. This year, the conference brought together around 100 bar leaders from across the region under the compelling theme: Guiding Justice Through Uncharted Waters. The theme resonated deeply — we are, as a profession, continually called to navigate complex and often unprecedented challenges, and to do so with integrity, ethics, and resolve.

I was grateful to present alongside David Kauila Kopper from Legal Aid Services of Hawaii on Disaster Legal Response and Recovery: Meeting Legal Needs Post Disaster. Drawing on our collective experience with the Maui wildfire response, we shared our personal experiences of providing disaster relief, touched on challenges and lessons learned, and talked about building an infrastructure of resilience through community lawyering. LASH’s work is a testament to the indispensable role lawyers play in rebuilding lives and restoring order in the aftermath of tragedy.

Law Day is May 1st, and this year we are proud to host a statewide Law Day of Action. Members are invited to gather at courthouses across Hawaiʻi to reaffirm the values at the heart of our profession by re-taking the attorney's oath. This year's observance carries special significance. At a time when the Rule of Law faces challenges both near and far, our collective, public recommitment to the oath we swore serves as a powerful reminder — to ourselves, to our clients, and to the public — of what we stand for. The Rule of Law is not simply a legal concept. It is the foundation of our democracy, the guarantor of equal justice, and the promise that no person or institution is above accountability.

We hope you will join your colleagues at a courthouse near you on May 1st at noon. A Save the Date is forthcoming with specific courthouse locations.

Thank you for your continued dedication to the legal profession and to the people of Hawaiʻi. It is a privilege to serve alongside each of you.