CONTACT:      Emiko Ryan, Americorps Attorney

PHONE:           245-4728

E-MAIL:          emryan@lashaw.org

June 2, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Legal Aid Society of Hawaii’s Kauai Office Hosts Opening for its New Center for Equal Justice

            Thanks to a grant of $25,000 from the G.N. Wilcox Trust, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii is opening its second Center for Equal Justice (CEJ) in Lihue, Kauai. The official Grand Opening is Friday, June 2^nd, 2006, and is open to the general public.  A “sneak peek” was held on Thursday, June 1^st for local attorneys and judiciary.  Using the successful Honolulu CEJ as a model, Legal Aid Kauai staff will initially provide “brief services” to about 25 low-income individuals/families per month.  Examples of “brief services” include: preventing an elderly or disabled tenant from being illegally evicted, supporting a victim of domestic violence in obtaining a Temporary Restraining Order, helping a single father modify an outdated child support order, assisting a homeless man in applying for and obtaining housing, and more.

            On Kauai, it is estimated that around 60% of family law and housing cases involve at least one unrepresented party.  “Our primary goal is to reduce the number of unrepresented litigants who enter the courtroom ill-equipped and unprepared,” says Emiko Ryan, Legal Aid AmeriCorps Attorney. “The Center for Equal Justice will provide Kauai’s low-income and homeless populations with legal advice, online resources, assistance with completing court documents, and other services that increase access to justice.”

                Chuck Greenfield, Executive Director for Legal Aid notes, “A center in Lihue will allow Legal Aid to increase our ability to meet the needs of Kauai’s low-income population—most of whom face multiple barriers in accessing justice.”  Whether held back by lack of knowledge, inability to access resources, or just general apprehension, large numbers of low-income residents enter the courtroom without the slightest hint of what to do or how to do it.  “Part of our mission is to empower unrepresented litigants as they attempt to break through the barriers of accessing justice,” says Greenfield. “We are thankful that the G.N. Wilcox Trust is supporting this important work, and proud that our Kauai office is able to be next up in implementing a Center for Equal Justice.”

end

####