LibGuides: Criminal Law: Finding a Lawyer

Referrals

Ala Kuola, Hawai‘i Family Law Clinic
Free assistance on filing temporary restraining orders.
American Civil Liberties Union - Hawaiʻi
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Hawai‘i is a private, non-profit non-partisan organization dedicated to preserving and extending constitutional rights through litigation, legislation, organizing, and education.
Domestic Violence Action Center
The Domestic Violence Action Center and Legal Hotline is committed to ending domestic violence and other forms of abuse through leadership, prevention, legal service, individual and systemic advocacy and social change work.
Hawaiʻi Disability Rights Center
The mission of the Hawaiʻi Disability Rights Center is to protect and promote the human, civil, and legal rights of individuals with disabilities through the provision of information and advocacy.
Hawaiʻi Immigrant Justice Center at Legal Aid
Hawaiʻi Immigrant Justice Center is a non-profit organization committed to providing immigration legal services and advocacy in the public interest for people living in Hawaiʻi with particular emphasis on serving poor and low income immigrants and their families
Hawaiʻi Legal Services Portal
This tool directs people with legal problems in Hawaiʻi to helpful legal resources and referrals.
Hawaiʻi Online Pro Bono
Hawaiʻi Online Pro Bono (HOP) is an online service for low to moderate income Hawaiʻi residents. HOP is a web based legal clinic that allows users to get their civil legal questions answered 24/7 by Hawaiʻi licensed volunteer attorneys. Help answer Hawaiʻi residents questions in: family law, estate planning, bankruptcy, landlord-tenant, small claims, veteran benefits and immigration.
Hawaiʻi State Bar Association - Lawyer Referral & Information Service
The Lawyer Referral & Information Service (LRIS) is a public service provided by the Hawaiʻi State Bar Association. The referrals are free and clients are encouraged to contact the attorneys referred to find out whether they are able to assist with the legal issue, and the terms and costs for doing so.
Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi
Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi is dedicated to assisting the low-to-moderate income community. Their mission is to achieve fairness and justice for Hawaiʻi's people through quality representation, advocacy, community partnerships, education and outreach.
The Legal Clinic
The Legal Clinic (TLC) provides confidential, compassionate and free immigration legal services to financially-eligible immigrants and COFA residents in Hawaiʻi
Legal Lines
Free Legal Information Hotline.
Call (808) 537-1868 on Wednesdays from 6-7 p.m.
Volunteer attorneys will be standing by to take your calls.
A project of the Young Lawyers Division
Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation
The mission of the NHLC is to strengthen and enhance the lives of Native Hawaiians and Native Hawaiian communities through the protection and recovery of ancestral and trust lands, natural resources, and the preservation of customs and practices vital to the perpetration of Hawaii's indigenous people.
Office of the Public Defender
The Office of the Public Defender was established pursuant to Section 802-B, Hawai`i Revised Statutes, implementing Federal and State constitutional mandates that any indigent person charged with a criminal offense or threatened with the loss of liberty shall be provided with the assistance of legal counsel.
Patsy T. Mink Center for Business & Leadership and Business Law Corps Hawaiʻi
The Patsy T. Mink Center for Business & Leadership (MCBL) and Business Law Corps (BLC) have partnered to offer small business owners no-cost business legal counseling with an attorney.
Volunteer Legal Services Hawaiʻi
Volunteer Legal Services Hawaiʻi matches pro bono lawyers with individuals and families in need of legal assistance. The organization’s pool of volunteer attorneys handle non-criminal matters such as family law, guardianship, wills and probate, collections, small claims, veteran benefits, and bankruptcy. Services include legal advice, telephone consultations, document drafting, self help workshops and full representation.

Access to Justice Rooms/ Self-Help Centers

Access to Justice Rooms – Volunteer attorneys provide limited legal advice to unrepresented litigants involved in a civil cases.

Self-Help Centers – Volunteer attorneys and Ameri-Corps Advocates provided limited legal information to help self-represented litigants navigate through court forms and processes.

Hawaiʻi (Third Circuit) - Hilo Self-Help Center
Hours: Tuesday & Friday, 11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Telephone: (808) 961-0609
Hawaiʻi (Third Circuit) - Kona Self-Help Center
Hours: Wednesday from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Telephone: (808) 437-7557
Kauaʻi (Fifth Circuit) - Self-Help Center
Hours: Monday, 10 a.m. to noon; and Thursday, 10 a.m. to noon
Telephone: (808) 482-2660
Mauʻi (Second Circuit) - Self-Help Center
Hours: Mondays & Thursdays from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Telephone: (808) 495-5527
Oʻahu (First Circuit) - Honolulu District Court Access to Justice Room
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Telephone: (808) 452-1544
Oʻahu (First Circuit) - Kapolei Access to Justice Room
Hours: First & Third Thursday of every Month, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Telephone: (808) 954-8290

Community Mediation Centers

There are five Community mediation centers under contract to the State of Hawaiʻi to provide volunteer mediators and affordable mediation services to the public.

Hawaiʻi - Kuʻikahi Mediation Center
101 Aupuni Street, Suite PH 1014 B-2
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Phone: (808) 935-7844
Fax: (808) 961-9727
Hawaiʻi - West Hawaiʻi Mediation Center
P.O. Box 7020
Kamuela, Hawaii 96743
Phone: (808) 885-5525
Fax: (808) 887-0525
Kauaʻi - Kauaʻi Economic Opportunity, Inc. Mediation Program
2804 Wehe Road
Lihue, Hawii 96766
Phone: (808) 245-4077
Fax: (808) 245-7476
Mauʻi - Mauʻi Mediation Services
J. Walter Cameron Center
95 Mahalani Street, Suite 25
Wailuku, Hawaii 96793
Phone: (808) 244-5744
Fax: (808) 249-0905
Oʻahu - The Mediation Center of the Pacific
245 N. Kukui Street, Suite 206
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
Phone: (808) 521-6767
Fax: (808) 538-1454

William S. Richardson School of Law Programs

Medical-Legal Partnership for Children in Hawai'i
The Medical-Legal Partnership for Children in Hawaiʻi (MLPC Hawaiʻi) provides direct access to legal services for children and families in a community health clinic setting in order to address the social/legal problems that negatively impact children’s health.
University of Hawaiʻi Elder Law Program
University of Hawaiʻi Elder Law Program (UHELP) provides legal advice to the Elderly
and their Caregivers.
Refugee & Immigration Law Clinic
The Refugee & Immigration Law Clinic provides immigration legal services, including form-based transactional work and court representation.
Hawaiʻi Innocence Project
Hawaiʻi Innocence Project (HIP) provides free representation to incarcerated persons who have a credible claim of innocence.