2009 HSBA RENEWAL

Members should have received their 2009 registration forms by mail.   If you have not received your forms, please register online no later than December 31, 2008 to avoid late fees and penalties.

To renew online go to www.myhsba.org

To log in follow these instructions:

User ID – HSBA license Number + Last Name

                         (9999Smith) (Case sensitive)

Password – First 3 letters of last name + last 4 digits of SSN

                        (Smi1234) (Case sensitive)

  FACTS ABOUT RENEWAL

Must I report:

     Pro Bono Hours? – YES all attorneys

     Professional Liability Insurance? – YES, if active/private

              practice

     IOLTA form?   YES, all attorneys

DO IT NOW!

·          Complete your 2009 Renewal!

·          Buy your movie coupons for the holidays!

·          Donate to a legal service entity!   Support Access to Justice!

·          Sign up for Pro Bono Opportunities, CLE, LRIS, YLD Projects, and Casemaker Training (Scroll down to see all opportunities)

Jeffrey H.K. Sia

HSBA President

This will be my final E-newsletter entry for the year, and, I want to give my thanks to you for allowing me to serve as your HSBA President.   Every year presents challenges for the HSBA President, fellow officers and Board of Directors.   Some issues carry over from year-to-year, and there always are new ones to confront and handle.   My “Perspectives” article in the December Bar Journal will discuss some of the particularly interesting issues of the year and the status of those issues.

You need to know that the Officers and Directors of the HSBA work very hard for you, generously giving their time on these various issues and matters.   Much thanks and appreciation go to: HSBA Officers – Rai Saint Chu (President-Elect and President starting on 1/1/09); Douglas Moore (Treasurer); and Carolyn Yu (Secretary), and fellow HSBA Board members – Nathan Aipa; Darren Ching; Steven Chow; James Dandar; Craig De Costa; Greg Frey; Mark Gallagher; Geraldine Hasegawa; Louise Ing; Hugh Jones; Ronette Kawakami; Carol Kitaoka; Greg Markham; Steven Songstad; and Jodi Yi.   Jill Hasegawa was our outstanding Young Lawyers Division President and Board member.

Providing tremendous and necessary assistance to the Officers and Board, and to the membership, are the HSBA staff, starting with Executive Director Lyn Flanigan, and including Iris Ito, Anna Cottrell, Lyn Shiraishi, Caila Murphy, Debra White, Liberty Castillo, Leroy Michaels, Robert Taylor, Hisae Ishii-Chang, Lisa Tsukayama, Evelyn Gomez, Amy Yogi, James Maruyama, and Lisa Cutright.

While engaged in the regular business of the HSBA, you also need to know that these people also work on pro bono services and projects for the good of our community at large and also for the betterment of our profession.   Whether it is manning the telephones for HSBA’s Legal Hotline, participating in school programs as part of the YLD’s community projects, or holding a free legal clinic at a shopping center, your HSBA Officers, Directors, and Staff help not only the community, but our profession with these very positive activities.   Your participation also is noticed, appreciated and wanted, so please continue to do what you can.

Thank you, again, and to all – please have a very happy holiday season.   Aloha. --Jeffrey Sia

 
Jill M. Hasegawa

YLD President

Seasons Greetings!   'Tis the season for giving, sharing and saying thanks for all that we have been given.   As you prepare to welcome the New Year and make your New Year’s resolutions, I ask you to consider the following:

(1) Hawaii Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 6.1 states that a lawyer should aspire to provide at least fifty hours of pro bono services per year; (2) over the past six months, employer bankruptcies, lay-offs and the unemployment rate in Hawaii has soared; and (3) the State of Hawaii, including the legislative, executive and judicial branches have announced huge budget cuts, with more envisioned for the coming year.   Within the past month, you have probably received pleas for help from Volunteer Legal Services of Hawaii, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, and others to name just a few.   Our legal services providers who provide pro bono assistance to the public need your help now more than ever.   Whether it is in the form of monetary donations, to meet the budget cuts anticipated to be felt all around, or a commitment and dedication of your time to assist providing pro bono legal services, we need your help to make a difference.   Please visit the HSBA website at http://hsba.org/probono.aspx for a list of organizations who greatly need your assistance.   In the spirit of the season, of caring and giving, please consider sharing with those who need our help.   Together we can make a difference.   Happy Holidays!

MEMBER BENEFITS

CASEMAKER TRAINING

Bring your lunch and join us on January 29, 2009, 11 A.M. at the HSBA Conference Room for Casemaker Training. This wonderful benefit is your FREE legal research tool. Join us to learn how to log in, the differences between versions 2.0 and 2.1, and real live case research provided by the Librarians of William S. Richardson School of Law.

Please e-mail LCutright@hsba.org to sign up!

  HSBA’s Lawyer Referral Service

Obtain Paying clients through the Lawyer Referral & Information Service for just $150 and receive referrals from December –June 30, 2009. The LRIS has been Bar Sponsored for over 33 years! LRIS clients are prepared to pay for your legal services!   Let the calls begin!

Join the LRIS today! (PDF) or send e-mail egomez@hsba.org

CLE UPDATED SEMINARS

Friday, January 30, 2009

Nuts and Bolts 2009 Seminar

Four sessions available:   Real Estate Planning, Real Estate Conveyance, Litigation in State Court, and Debt Collection.

Bring your lunch.

8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the HEI Training Center

Friday, February 6, 2009

Hawaii Evidence Law Update

8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., at the HEI Training Center

Save the Date!

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Erwin Chemerinsky , renowned constitutional law scholar and founding dean of the UC Irvine School of Law, will join the HSBA for lunch and a “Conversation with Chemerinsky” on Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

Dean Chemerinsky, who has written several books and over 100 articles and has argued frequently before the U.S. Supreme Court, may well have written the constitutional law text you used in law school.

Among his many awards and accolades, Dean Chemerinsky was named in 2005 by Legal Times as one of the “top 20 legal scholars in the United States.”

Stay tuned for information on the event by visiting www.hsba.org

Position Available

Administrator for Access to Justice Commission

The Administrator will be responsible to the Commission for supporting all aspects of the work and programs of the Commission. The Administrator should be a self-starter, familiar with the legal profession and dedicated to the provision of legal services to the poor. The position will be half-time at the HSBA, funded on an annual basis by the Hawaii Justice Foundation. Great benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.

Click here to view a complete job description and various materials on the Access to Justice initiative.

Interested persons should submit a cover letter and resume to HR@hsba.org or by mail to: Hawaii State Bar Association Attention: Human Resources 1132 Bishop Street, Ste. 906 Honolulu, HI 96813

Young Lawyers Division Projects

LEGAL LINE is currently on hiatus until February 2009.

Click here for more information or to sign up for any of these worthwhile public service projects:

Legal Line, Ready for the World, Law Week (May 2009), Junior Judges, Goldilocks, Mock Trial, and Disaster Assistance Relief Manual

Pro-Bono Opportunity

Looking for a way to accomplish your goal of 50 pro bono hours, per HRPC 6.1?   The military community and fellow member Captain Arthur Chapman III, US Marine Corp needs you!  

Give back by donating your time to provide free tax services to the military community. Access to Kaneohe Bay Marine Corp Base, training, tax forms and software will be provided.

Please sign up no later than January 29, 2009 by e-mail to arthurc3@gmail.com or by calling 808-257-6740.

Civil Rights and Language Access Video

The "Civil Rights and Language Access" discussion held on December 4, 2008 on the PBS Hawaii television program "Island Insights" can be viewed by clicking here. The video is slightly under one hour.