Rule 6.1 of the Hawaii Professional Rules of Conduct states that a lawyer should aspire to provide at least fifty hours of pro bono services per year.
To assist attorneys who wish to provide pro bono legal services, here is a list of volunteer opportunities:
LIST OF VOLUNTEER ATTORNEY PRO BONO OPPORTUNITIES IN HAWAII
HONOLULU ACCESS TO JUSTICE ROOM AND SELF-HELP CENTERS
The Court Self-Help Centers and the Honolulu Access to Justice Room are collaborative initiatives led by the Judiciary, the Hawaii Access to Justice Commission, the Hawaii State Bar Association, the Kauai County Bar Association, the Maui County Bar Association, the Hawaii County Bar Association, West Hawaii Bar Association, AmeriCorps, and the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii. These programs aid to expand access to justice for self-represented litigants.
Located across multiple islands the centers include the Honolulu Access to Justice Room on Oahu and Self-Help Centers on Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii island (in Hilo and Kona). Depending on the location, volunteer attorneys can provide legal help either in person or remotely by phone, covering areas such as landlord-tenant disputes, family law, and other district court matters. AmeriCorps Advocates are available to handle initial client intake and connect attorneys with the individuals seeking help.
To ensure you are well-prepared, the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii offers comprehensive online training for all volunteers, along with ongoing support. Volunteers also have access to on-demand resources and can consult with AmeriCorps Advocates and Legal Aid staff if questions arise. Training is required before participating to ensure consistency and confidence in delivering legal assistance.
For attorneys interested in volunteering, please reach out to Tiane Inciong at tiane.inciong@legalaidhawaii.org, or connect with your local bar president.
Scope: Short-term limited legal services to include legal information and/or legal advice.
Mentorship: Yes, training is provided. CLE available. Training is required for all volunteers.
Contact: Tiane Inciong at tiane.inciong@legalaidhawaii.org
APPELLATE PRO BONO PROGRAM
The Hawaii State Bar Association Appellate Division, working in coordination with the Hawaii State Judiciary and Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii, have formed the Appellate Pro Bono Program for attorneys seeking valuable appellate experience through the representation of pro se litigants with civil appeals before the Intermediate Court of Appeals and the Hawaii Supreme Court.
The subject matter for eligible cases includes foreclosures, summary possession, employment discrimination, worker’s compensation, state tax appeals, wrongful termination, unemployment benefit denials, probate and family law areas of divorce, child custody, child support, and paternity. This program is expected to expand to other areas of law in the future.
Individuals seeking assistance through this program are pre-screened for subject matter and income qualifications. As volunteers, you will be provided case information for conflict checking and assessment. You will then have the opportunity to accept or decline a pro bono opportunity. Periodic trainings will be available as well as mentoring by experienced appellate attorneys on the procedural aspects of the assigned pro bono case. Volunteer Attorneys are not required nor expected to pay court costs or any other out-of-pocket costs associated with the pro bono case.
Benefits include providing greater access to justice for those in need, gain valuable experience in appellate briefing and oral argument before the Appellate or Supreme Court.
Scope: Briefing and oral argument at Appellate or Supreme Court
Mentorship: Yes; available
Contact: Program Coordinator at appellate@vlsh.org
BUSINESS LAW CORPS (BLC)
The BLC provides free pro bono corporate legal services to Hawaii’s small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Scope: Weekly one-on-one 30-minute client consultations; seminars; direct provision of legal services.
Mentorship: Negotiable.
Contact: Cat Taschner, ctaschner@businesslawcorps.org;
Greg Kim, gkim@businesslawcorps.org
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACTION CENTER (DVAC)
The Domestic Violence Action Center is committed to addressing domestic violence and other forms of harm through leadership, unique services, legal representation, housing, survivor and system advocacy, community education, and social change work. We believe everyone should be treated equally, with dignity, and fairly. By providing high-quality, culturally sensitive programs delivered with integrity and compassion, we are creating safety and self-sufficiency for survivors and their children.
Scope: DVAC Services provides crucial assistance and wide range services to individuals requiring immediate crisis support, specialized legal representation, child support, temporary restraining orders, housing support, divorce cases, paternity cases, and long-term advocacy services for survivors on Oahu. It is vital to acknowledge the multitude of obstacles survivors of domestic violence in Oahu encounter, including unsafe and unstable housing, financial insecurity, societal stigma, and language and immigration barriers.
Mentorship: DVAC provides valuable opportunities for volunteers to shadow the entire process, from intake to resolving the survivor’s case.
Contact: Monique Ibarra: (808) 534-0040 www.domesticviolenceactioncenter.org
HAWAII ONLINE PRO BONO (HOP)
Hawaii Online Pro Bono (HOP) is an online service for low to moderate income Hawaii residents. HOP is a web based legal clinic that allows users to get their civil legal questions answered 24/7 by Hawaii licensed volunteer attorneys. Help answer Hawaii residents questions in: family law, estate planning, bankruptcy (chapter 7), private landlord-tenant, small claims, and veteran disability benefits.
Scope: Answer legal questions at your leisure, anywhere you have internet access. Clients do not know you by name, only as Attorney ID no.
Contact: hopadmin@vlsh.org; https://hawaii.freelegalanswers.org/
KAPOLEI ACCESS TO JUSTICE ROOM
Free limited legal assistance on family court civil issues (i.e. divorce, paternity, custody, visitation, child support, adoptions, guardianships of a minor) is available to unrepresented/pro se parties at the Kapolei Access to Justice Room (KAJR) at the Ronald T. Y. Moon Courthouse in Kapolei and the Supreme Court Law Library satellite KAJR location in Honolulu. The service is provided by a partnership between the Hawaii State Judiciary and volunteer attorneys with the Hawaii State Bar Association’s Family Law Section. Since the KAJR opened in September 2012, more than 2,100 clients have been served. The KAJR is held remotely through videoconferencing on the first and third Thursdays of each month from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and in person on the second Fridays of each month at the Supreme Court library. A person interested in receiving services can sign up by calling (808) 954-8290.
Scope: Short-term limited legal services to include legal information and/or legal advice.
Mentorship: Training is required for all volunteers
Contact: Dyan Mitsuyama at dyan@mitsuyamaandrebman.com
LAWYERS FOR EQUAL JUSTICE
Lawyers for Equal Justice represents low-income and marginalized Hawaii residents in impact litigation, focusing on class-action litigation. We have advocated successfully for low-income housing tenants, foster parents, and others in state and federal court.
Scope: Assistance ranging from short-term research projects on discrete issues to co-counseling on major cases.
Mentorship: Available
Contact: Gavin Thornton, Executive Director, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, ph. (808) 366-7875
LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF HAWAII (LASH) – IMMIGRATION AND DISASTER ASSISTANCE
Established in 1950 with 10 offices statewide, the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii is a non-profit, public interest law firm dedicated to increasing access to justice for the state’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
Volunteer attorneys can accept or assist with cases related to immigration through Legal Aid’s Hawaii Immigrant Justice Center or providing disaster-related legal assistance as part of the recovery efforts after a natural disaster.
Scope: Full representation or short-term limited services through disaster-related legal clinics.
Mentorship: Yes, available for immigration cases. Training provided.
Contact: Tiane Inciong at tiane.inciong@legalaidhawaii.org
LEGAL LINES
Every Wednesday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., attorneys are available via telephone to provide legal information. The volunteer licensed pro bono attorneys identify the issue(s) or concern(s) and refer the callers to the appropriate HSBA staff, legal service provider, or government agency, which may be contacted for assistance. The Legal Line phone number in Honolulu is (808) 537-1868. Legal advice is not provided, and an attorney-client relationship is not formed.
Scope: Legal information given by phone
Mentorship: None
Contact: Young Lawyers Division: yldhawaii@gmail.com
MAUI MEDIATION SERVICES (MMS)
Maui Mediation Services (MMS), a community mediation center serving Maui County since 1982, has volunteer opportunities available for attorneys interested in alternative dispute resolution. Mediation services are provided for cases referred from the Wailuku, Lahaina, Hana and Molokai Courthouses. Subject matter for referred cases include residential landlord/tenant, small claims, and child custody disputes. Cases are also referred from other sources including but not limited to social services agencies, friends/friends and attorneys.
Those seeking mediations all volunteer to participate and are screened for appropriateness. As a volunteer mediator, you will be provided case information for conflict checking and assessment. You will then have the opportunity to accept or decline a pro bono opportunity. Periodic trainings are required and mentoring is provided by experienced mediators on the procedural aspects of the assigned pro bono case.
Benefits include providing greater access to justice for those in need, helping to decrease already overcrowded court dockets, and empowering the parties to develop their own best solution in a process that promotes respect, communication, and peace.
Scope: Providing mediation services at Maui County Courthouses or at Maui Mediation Services offices in Wailuku.
Mentorship: Yes; available.
Contact: Executive Director at info@mauimediation.org
THE MEDIATION CENTER OF THE PACIFIC (MCP)
The Mediation Center of the Pacific (MCP) provides mediation and dispute resolution services that are affordable and accessible for all. MCP can offer these services for a nominal or no fee by primarily using mediators who provide the services pro bono. MCP’s mediation and dispute resolution services address a broad variety of issues from divorce, paternity, landlord-tenant, civil rights, condominium, special education, elder, family, and more. A preponderance of the cases mediated at MCP’s office are domestic (divorce, post- divorce and custody) that are ordered or referred from Family Court, as well as District Court matters including landlord-tenant, small claims, regular claims, and restraining orders.
Most cases are scheduled for three-hour sessions Monday through Friday, at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Small claims and landlord-tenant cases are scheduled for one and a half-hour sessions. The Client Services Specialists who schedule the cases, assign the mediators to cases based on the mediator’s experience, subject matter expertise, and availability. The Client Services Specialists provide case information for conflict checking and assessment. MCP generally adheres to a co-mediation model pairing new mediators with experienced mentor mediators and non-lawyer mediators with lawyer mediators.
Benefits include increasing access to justice by helping people negotiate and resolve their disputes creatively in a safe, confidential setting. Mediators hone their negotiation and conflict resolution skills and learn effective advocacy approaches in mediation.
Requirements: All volunteers must complete a 24-hour Basic Mediation Training (MCP’s or comparable training). Family law attorneys may complete MCP’s Divorce Mediation Training. Volunteers are required to mediate a minimum of 5 cases annually. A three-year commitment is required.
Mentorship: Yes. All new mediators are required to complete an Apprenticeship, including co-mediating 10 cases with mentor mediators. Additional training and workshops are provided by MCP throughout the year.
Contact: Mediator and Program Development Director: katherine@mediatehawaii.org
MEDICIAL-LEGAL PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN IN HAWAI’I
The Medical-Legal Partnership for Children in Hawai‘i (MLPC) is a collaboration between the William S. Richardson School of Law (University of Hawai‘i) and the Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services, a community health center and Kapiolani Medical Center (pediatric specialty hospital). MLPC provides free legal services, on site at both healthcare sites for low-income families. MLPC also engages in community education and systemic advocacy to promote legal knowledge, equity, and civic engagement.
Scope: The MLPC prioritizes law students and recent graduates for pro bono and fellowship opportunities. MLPC also partners with licensed attorneys who can provide particular needs, such as civil rights, disability access, family law, personal injury, and policy advocacy.
Mentorship: As a project of the William S. Richardson School of Law, MLPC Hawai‘i provides extensive mentorship for law students and recent graduates selected to work with MLPC. MLPC also engages in collaboration with partnering attorneys through “warm handoffs,” supportive client communications, and other facilitated transactions. Attorneys must be flexible and willing to work outside of traditional office spaces and to serve clients with unique needs (e.g., unstable housing, limited English).
Contact: Dina Shek, Legal Director (dshek@hawaii.edu; (808) 371-2698)
NATIVE HAWAIIAN LEGAL CORPORATION (NHLC)
Since 1974, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (“NHLC”) has worked to protect and advance Native Hawaiian identity and culture using advocacy and legal services related to the numerous legal areas that comprise Native Hawaiian law. NHLC is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) charity. NHLC’s clients are families, communities, cultural practitioners, and traditional knowledge stewards, who often do not have a practical alternative for legal assistance due to cost and the niche subject matter expertise needed for Native Hawaiian rights matters. Most of NHLC’s clients are served pro bono.
Scope:
NHLC’s advocacy and legal services programs include
- family law services to support healthy families;
- land rights and homestead lease defense;
- rights to traditional and cultural practice, burial and other sacred site defense;
- water rights;
- cultural intellectual property protection; and
- disaster recovery and resilience.
As a part of these programs, NHLC also practices and would appreciate pro bono volunteers willing and able to help with matters involving these related areas of law potentially also: land use; landlord-tenant; intellectual property; trust and estates; non-profit governance; quiet title defense; administrative law; disaster law; insurance law; and environmental law.
Contacts: Makalika Naholowaa, Executive Director; Kirsha Durante, Litigation Director; (808) 521-2302 Info@nhlchi.org; www.nativehawaiianlegalcorp.org.
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII ELDER LAW PROGRAM (UHELP)
UHELP has an attorney/professor, a program administrator/legal assistant and several volunteer community attorneys. UHELP operates throughout the calendar year and provides limited basic legal assistance, advice, information and referral to individuals who are 60 years or older and are socially or economically needy. UHELP is not permitted to assist with business or criminal law matters (including traffic violations) or with personal injury or fee-generating cases. Each case is evaluated according to its own merits and in accordance with staff capabilities.
Scope: UHELP utilizes law students and law school graduates who have taken the elder law clinic course for pro bono and volunteer opportunities.
Mentorship: As a project of the William S. Richardson School of Law, UHELP provides mentorship for law students and graduates selected to work with UHELP.
Contact: (808) 956-654, http://www.hawaii.edu/uhelp/
VOLUNTEER LEGAL SERVICES HAWAII (VLSH)
Since 1981, Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii has helped the community and the Hawaii State Bar by matching private practice Hawaii attorneys with pro bono opportunities. Volunteer attorneys are the backbone of the organization, without whom access to justice could not be achieved. In 2023, over 3,000 hours were donated by pro bono attorneys through VLSH. The organization’s pool of volunteer attorneys includes those specializing in family law, guardianship, wills, power of attorney, advanced health care directives, collections, private landlord-tenant, small claims, veteran disability benefits, and bankruptcy (Chapter 7). Services include legal education classes, legal advice, telephone consultations, document drafting, self-help workshops, and full representation. VLSH staff screens and conducts a full intake on clients including requesting important documents for a case and provides the same with conflicts checks for the volunteer attorney prior to scheduled clinic appointment.
Neighborhood Advice and Counsel clinics occur on Thursdays 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (a volunteer attorney will have two to four scheduled clients per clinic); other events vary throughout the year. To better serve the community, clinics are held “virtually” over the telephone and in person.
Scope: Advice and Counsel clinics, Brief Services, and Full Representation cases
Mentorship: Yes, available.
Contact: volunteer@vlsh.org, www.vlsh.org