From left, honoree (legal services provider): Former Dean at the William S. Richardson School of Law Aviam Soifer (Hawai‘i Justice Foundation), Lisa Swartzfager (Hawai‘i State Bar Association), George Apter (The Mediation Center of the Pacific), Michael Goodman (Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i), Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald, and Daniel Vermillion (Volunteer Legal Services of Hawai‘i).
HONOLULU — Attorneys who performed free legal work in support of community non-profit legal services providers, indigent parties, and individuals who do not have a lawyer, were honored at the Hawaiʻi Access to Justice Commission’s 2024 Pro Bono Celebration on October 30.
Commission Chair Judge Joseph Cardoza (ret.), Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald, Associate Justices Sabrina McKenna and Vladimir Devens, and Hawaii State Bar Association President Jesse Souki, gathered with honorees and special guests in the Supreme Court courtroom for the annual ceremony.
2024 Pro Bono Awards
Among the evening’s highlights were awards presented to attorneys and law firms who donated time and expertise to Hawaiʻi’s civil legal service providers. The 2024 awardees (and the organizations they assisted) are:
Corianne Lau (American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Hawai‘i); former dean of the William S. Richardson School of Law Aviam Soifer (Hawaiʻi Justice Foundation); Michael Goodman (Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi); Lisa Swartzfager (Hawaii State Bar Association); Nancy Youngren (Hawaiʻi Friends of Restorative Justice); George Apter (The Mediation Center of the Pacific); and Daniel Vermillion (Volunteer Legal Services of Hawaiʻi).
Volunteer attorneys who staffed the Access to Justice Rooms at the Honolulu District Court and the Ronald T.Y. Moon Judiciary Complex in Kapolei were recognized for their extensive community service. Since the centers opened in 2012, attorneys have provided nearly 13,000 consultations, at no charge, to people seeking legal assistance. The 2024 honorees are:
Honolulu District Court Access to Justice Room
Individual Attorneys:
Christine Daleiden, Mike Goodman, Tatjana Johnson, and Lloyd Lim.
Law Firms / Offices / Groups:
Bickerton Law Group LLLP, Bronster Fujichaku Robbins, Cades Schutte LLP, Carlsmith Ball LLP, Case Lombardi, Chun Kerr LLP, Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert, Dentons, Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel, Hawaii Filipino Lawyers Association, Hawaii Women Lawyers, Marr Jones & Wang, Office of Disciplinary Counsel, Schlack Ito, Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher, and Yamamoto Caliboso Hetherington.
Kapolei Family Court Access to Justice Room
Individual Attorneys:
Kevin Adaniya, Amberlynn Alualu, Sarah Jo Buehler, Richard Diehl, P. Gregory Frey, Noah Gibson, Andrea Graf, Donna Davis Green, Seth Harris, Ann Isobe, Mari Lei Kishimoto Doi, Lynnae Lee, Elsa McGehee, Dyan Mitsuyama, Alan Okamoto, Gemma-Rose Poland Soon, Ellen Politano, Gregory Ryan, Jacqueline Thurston, and Carol Tribbey.
Hawaiʻi Appellate Pro Bono Program Volunteers
Further recognitions focused on attorneys who volunteered to represent people who had cases before the Hawaiʻi Intermediate Court of Appeals or Supreme Court, but no legal counsel. Hawaiʻi’s Appellate Pro Bono Program Volunteers are:
Eitan Arom, Daniel Gluck, and Branden Nakahara.
Family Court Volunteer Settlement Masters
The Oʻahu Family Court Volunteer Settlement Masters were recognized by First Circuit Senior Family Court Judge Dyan Medeiros. This year’s honorees are:
Kevin Adaniya, Nicole Cummings, Everett Cuskaden, Thomas D. Farrell, Christian Gray, Donna Davis Green, Seth Harris, Steven Hartley, Charles T. Kleintop, Erin Kobayashi, Katherine Lukela, Lynne Jenkins McGivern, Anthony Perrault, Judith Schevtchuk, Justin Sturdivant, and Paul Tomar.
Appellate Pro Bono Mediators
Hawaiʻi’s Appellate Mediator Volunteers were recognized for their service in a segment led by the Judiciary’s Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution Appellate Mediation Program Admin/Trainer Anne Marie Smoke. This year’s honorees are Justice Simeon Acoba , Jr. (ret.), Judge Riki May Amano (ret.), George Apter, Judge Joel August (ret.), William “Ned” Busch, Robin Campaniano, Thomas Cestare, Corlis Chang, Louis Chang, Charles Crumpton, Justice James Duffy (ret.), Jacqueline Earle, David Franzel, Judge Max Graham (ret.), Jerry Hiatt, Judge Mahilani Hiatt (ret.), Judge Eden Hifo (ret.), Judge Douglas H. Ige (ret.), Elizabeth Kent, Judge Walter Kirimitsu (ret.), Justice Robert Klein (ret.), Ralph La Fountaine, Judge Rosalyn Loomis (ret.), Stanley Majka, Georgia McMillen, Judge Douglas McNish (ret.), Judge Marie Milks (ret.), Richard Mosher, Judge Gail Nakatani (ret.), Judge Rhonda Nishimura (ret.), Judge Maura Okamoto (ret.), Patricia Kim Park, Justice Richard Pollack (ret.), Judge Shackley Raffetto (ret.), Judge Karl Sakamoto (ret.), Judge Sandra Simms (ret.), Judge Leland Spencer (ret.), Thomas Stirling, Judge Allene Suemori (ret.), Owen Tamamoto, Judge Michael Town (ret.), Arne Werchick, and Judge Andrew Wilson (ret.).
Statewide Essay Contest Winners (grades 10-12)
In addition to recognizing the volunteer attorneys and law firms, the six winners of the Access to Justice Commission’s 2024 statewide high school essay contest received $500 cash awards for their work. They are: Jazmine Adolfo, Keaʻau High School; Jeremiah Magallones, Nanakuli High School; Rowan Rasha Nuʻuhiwa Satta-Ellis, Konawaena High School; Daphne Takahashi, Maui High School; Brennan Yamaguchi, Maryknoll School; and Ethan Yang, Kaiser High School.
Bronster Fujikaku Robins AAL, Gilbert C. Doles AAL, Kwiat & Kennedy LLLP , and Miyashita & OʻSteen LLC, Schueter contributed to the monetary awards for this 11th year of the contest.
The Pro Bono Celebration, held annually during National Pro Bono Week, was sponsored by the Hawaiʻi Access to Justice Commission, the Hawaii Justice Foundation, and the Hawaii State Bar Foundation, with the support of the Hawaii State Bar Association.
The Hawaiʻi Access to Justice Commission was created in May 2008. The Commission’s primary purpose is to substantially increase access to justice in civil legal matters for low- and moderate-income residents of Hawaiʻi.
The Hawaii Justice Foundation is an independent, tax-exempt grantmaking organization whose sole purpose is to achieve justice for Hawaiʻi’s people. The Foundation was established in 1969 as a vehicle for philanthropic law-related projects in the state of Hawaiʻi.
The Hawaii State Bar Association is the unified bar association for all persons admitted to the practice of law in Hawaiʻi, and serves to unite and inspire Hawaiʻi lawyers to promote justice, serve the public, and improve the legal profession.
The Hawaii State Bar Foundation is a nonprofit organization established to promote justice through programs such as Access to Justice for persons in need of legal services, civics education, and other public service programs and projects, including programs and projects of the Hawaii State Bar Association.
For more information, contact the Communications and Community Relations Office at 808-539-4909 or via email at pao@courts.hawaii.gov.
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