Loomis-ISC - Honolulu, Hawai'i
Two Clients, One Very BIG Cause
As an agency that is attentive to the needs of nonprofits, we are proud to support two organizations that work to address the legal needs of the people of our state. They are the Hawaii State Bar Association, a professional organization whose mission is to promote justice, serve the public and improve the legal profession and Volunteer Legal Services Hawai‘i, an agency of last resort for Hawai‘i’s needy.
In 2008 alone, Volunteer Legal Services Hawai‘i received 13,000 calls for legal assistance from people throughout the islands. The organization, which was founded in 1981 with 10 lawyers, today brings together more than 850 of Hawai‘i’s lawyers, most of whom are also active members of the HSBA. Through their valuable volunteered time, VLSH is able to provide hope and access to justice by providing legal services to those who are desperately trying to keep a job, maintain a roof over their heads and provide for their children.
In addition, VLSH and the HSBA were two of the founding organizations of the Access to Justice Hui (the Hawaiian word for group), which was established in 2006 to study the unmet legal needs in Hawai‘i. Other members of the Access to Justice Hui included the Hawai‘i Judiciary, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, Hawaii Justice Foundation, University of Hawai‘i William S. Richardson School of Law and several other nonprofits. As a result of the Hui’s efforts, the Hawaii State Supreme Court has since created the Access to Justice Commission, which is now dedicated to increasing access to justice for Hawai‘i’s low and moderate-income residents. VLSH Executive Director, Moya Gray and HSBA President, Rai Saint Chu are both commissioners.
