The Senior Counsel Division of the Hawaii State Bar Association conducted free legal information clinics Sept. 24 at two sites at Naalehu and Pahala in Ka‘u.
The Senior Counsel Division of the Hawaii State Bar Association conducted free legal information clinics Sept. 24 at two sites at Naalehu and Pahala in Ka‘u.
Fourteen attorneys, seven of whom flew in from Honolulu, served the two sites, while nine attorneys were on standby by telephone. A Legal Aid paralegal helped in Pahala, along with an HSBA staffer in Naalehu.
This community service project provided legal information to Big Island residents, particularly those living in rural Ka‘u. The Ka‘u Rural Health Association assisted with the project along with Legal Aid, Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center and Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council.
Attorneys Scott Makuakane, originally of Ka‘u, and Greg Lui-Kwan, originally from Hilo, both commented how the legal clinics were a way to give back to their communities, by giving legal information to rural, underserved people. The Senior Counsel Division previously did two free legal clinics on Molokai.
The Hawaii State Bar Association, Hawaii County Bar Association and West Hawaii Bar Association continue to develop projects to deliver legal services to underserved communities.