Since 2012, the Kapolei Access to Justice Room (KAJR) has offered over 3,090 free consultations to O‘ahu residents, focusing on family law. Initially, services were remote due to the pandemic but have since transitioned to a hybrid model of in-person and Zoom consultations. The KAJR is facilitated by the Hawai‘i Supreme Court Law Library and is a collaboration between the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary and the Family Law Section of the Hawaii State Bar Association. Recently, KAJR expanded its services with language interpreters for Spanish, Tagalog, Chuukese, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, and Chinese.
The team supporting KAJR in 2024 included attorneys and judiciary staff such as Jenny Silbiger, Richard Diehl, Ellen Politano, Andrea Graf, Sara Jo Buehler, Lynnae Lee, Dyan Mitsuyama, Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald among others.
The Honolulu District Court Access to Justice Room (Honolulu AJR), also established in 2012, has provided 9,966 free consultations and aims to surpass 10,000 by year-end. Like KAJR, it shifted from in-person to remote services during the pandemic's onset in March 2020. Honolulu AJR partners with the Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i and other entities to provide limited legal information on civil matters.
Across Hawaii's islands since October 2011, various legal professionals have helped nearly 39,000 individuals through Access to Justice Rooms and Self-Help Centers. Attorneys interested in volunteering can find more information on pro bono opportunities on the Hawaiʻi Access to Justice Commission website.