PUHI — Grove Farm Market (also known as the Puhi farmers’ market) will host a new booth this Saturday in between the food trucks and tables laden with produce and handmade goods.
But visitors won’t find the usual market fare at the Ask-a-Lawyer Booth, organized by the Hawai‘i State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division for HSBA’s annual Law Week.
Instead, visitors will be greeted by a group of volunteer attorneys eager to share legal resources for free.
HSBA YLD President Jasmine Wong believes such outreach shows law can be utilized by laypeople.
“They may think of it as something that’s not for them, or it’s unattainable, but it certainly is,” Wong told The Garden Island.
“The law really affects everyone,” Wong continued. “We want to get ourselves out there … All of these resources in the community, across the state: They’re all there to serve our citizens.”
Wong will be joined by several other lawyers on Saturday, including HSBA YLD Kaua‘i representative and Public Defender Renee Arndt.
Market-goers who visit the Ask-a-Lawyer Booth will sit down with an attorney for a one-on-one conversation.
Landlord-tenant law has been a frequent topic in recent years, due to fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2021, the end of eviction moratoriums and state legislation intended to prevent mass evictions prompted confusion among landlords and tenants alike.
“The things that have happened in 2020 and 2021 have amplified it a bit more than normal,” Wong said.
Interest in small-business law has also grown in recent years, according to Wong.
This apparent trend may be another consequence of COVID-19.
“People that got laid off or furloughed during the coronavirus pandemic over the past couple years have maybe gone out on their own and started their own businesses and ventures,” she said.
Other popular topics include the ins and outs of district court, elder law and estate planning.
But that doesn’t mean other subjects can’t be discussed. (Family law, including divorce and child custody, and bankruptcy, are among other topics advertised in a HSBA press release.)
The Ask-a-Lawyer Booth at Grove Farm Market (located across Kaumuali‘i Highway from Kaua‘i Community College) will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Wong and Arndt noted the booth’s attorneys are permitted to provide legal information, but not legal advice.
That’s a distinction visitors should keep in mind, according to Arndt.
“We’re able to provide resources, organizations and guidance on how to go about certain things to the community,” she said.
“We’re hopeful that what we can provide to the community can help them to resolve their problems,” Arndt continued.
“I know a lot of people can’t afford an attorney, or don’t have the resources to get this information (otherwise).”
Other Law Week offerings include Ask-a-Lawyer segments on KHON2’s “Wake Up 2day” television program.
Remaining TV segments include “Family Law” at 7:15 a.m. on Thursday and “Small Business” at 7:15 a.m. on Friday.
HSBA’s Legal Line Hotline, which normally operates from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, will be operational from 6 to 7 p.m. every day of Law Week, which concludes Sunday.
The Legal Line Hotline, 808-537-1868, is answered by volunteer lawyers who can provide general advice or referrals to nonprofit organizations that can assist with callers’ legal problems.
