News & Events

 

Legal Aid Society of Hawaii - HONOLULU OFFICE

924 Bethel Street
Honolulu, HI 96813

 

INTAKE HOTLINE: (808) 536-4302
*Please call this number if you need legal services

Fax: (808) 527-8088

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Legal Aid Society of Hawaii - WINDWARD OFFICE

45-773 Kamehameha Hwy.
Kane`ohe, HI 96744

 

INTAKE HOTLINE:(808) 536-4302
*Please call this number if you need legal services

DIRECT PHONE (for existing clients)

WINDWARD (808) 239-5707
Fax: (808) 235-5292

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Legal Aid Society of Hawaii - WAI'ANAE OFFICE

85-670 Farrington Highway
Wai`anae, HI 96792

 

INTAKE HOTLINE:(808) 536-4302
*Please call this number if you need legal services

DIRECT PHONE (for existing clients)

WAIANAE (808) 696-6322
Fax: (808) 696-5809

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Business Hours - ALL OFFICES
Monday to Friday

8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

 

Intake Hours- ALL OFFICES
Monday to Friday

9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and

1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

 

For a MAP to the Honolulu Office

 

For a MAP to the Windward Office

 

For a MAP to the Wai'anae Office

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HOW TO APPLY FOR LEGAL SERVICES (ALL OFFICES):

1. Call or walk-in to our HONOLULU office during normal Intake hours.

 

2. Be prepared to provide information about your legal problem, income, assets, and number of people in your household. If you are not a US citizen, you must be able to provide proof of your legal residency when meeting with staff.

 

For a list of LEGAL SERVICES

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OFFICE LOCATIONS

HONOLULU: The Honolulu Legal Aid office is centrally located in downtown Honolulu, at 924 Bethel Street (between Merchant and King Streets). A number of buses stop nearby on both Hotel Street and King Street. For more information on bus routes and schedules, go to The Bus website. If you are driving to our office, look for street parking nearby, or park at the Chinatown Gateway Municipal Parking lot, located on Bethel Street between King and Hotel Streets (across the street from Macy’s).

 

WINDWARD: Our Windward office is located in the on Kamehameha Hwy in Kaneohe. Free parking is available in the lot and on the street.

 

WAI'ANAE: Our Wai`anae office is located in the Satellite City Hall building, and is part of the Wai`anae Neighborhood Community Center. Free parking is available in the Center’s parking lot.

 

HISTORY

HONOLULU - The Honolulu office is the oldest and largest of the nine Legal Aid Society of Hawai`i offices. This downtown office has always housed both the administrative offices for the entire statewide program, as well as the legal staff serving the low-income population of much of O`ahu. The Honolulu office has moved several times since it first opened in 1950. Many of its former spaces were overcrowded and in disrepair. In 1999, through the generous help of the State, City and County of Honolulu, and private donors, the Honolulu Legal Aid office was able to move to its permanent home in the Friend Building at 924 Bethel Street on the edge of Chinatown.

 

In 2004, Legal Aid completed a $2 million capital campaign, which gave the Society full ownership of its 7,800 squarefoot historic downtown headquarters at 924 Bethel Street. Built in 1887, the building was the home of one of Hawaii’s first social service agencies, The Friend of Temperance and Seaman. The building is also a survivor of the Chinatown fires of 1886 and once housed the offices of the late Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink. Ownership of the building allows Legal Aid a permanent home for the provision of much-needed legal services for Hawai`i’s poor and needy.

 

The building is the hub of Legal Aid’s statewide program as it is home to approximately 60 staff and Legal Aid’s Center for Equal Justice, a comprehensive self-help center designed to train and support those who must advocate their own legal interests.

 

WINDWARD - In the late 1960's, the Legal Aid Society of Hawai`i opened a satellite office in Kaneohe to serve the needs of the 7,200 low-income residents of Oahu’s windward side. The attorney staff also used small office space in Hau`ula and Waimanalo to meet the needs of those in the outlying communities. During the 1970’s, the office closed several times as a result of budget constraints and occupied different spaces. However, during these times the Legal Aid Windward Office was known for its work to protect and promote the water rights of taro farmers.

 

In 1981 the Legal Aid Society of Hawai`i Windward Office moved to Kahalu`u and began using an office provided by the Kualoa Ecumenical Youth (KEY) Project. KEY Project is a Community Center that allows agencies to provide, among other things, social services such as a free medical clinic and a foodbank for the windward community. The Legal Aid Windward Office, or “Legal Aid Kahalu`u”, as it is commonly known, has remained at KEY Project and continues to assist windward clients with their legal issues.

 

WAI'ANAE - The Legal Aid Society of Hawai`i began servicing the residents of the Leeward Coast in 1970 out of an office in Waipahu. In March of 1971, Legal Aid obtained an office space at Wai`anae United Methodist Church to conduct intake. In late 1971 Legal Aid opened a full-fledged Wai`anae branch office under the Model Cities Program. In 1997, the office was fortunate to move to the new Satellite City Hall building in Wai`anae, which also conveniently houses other social service agencies which serve the leeward community.

 

The Wai`anae Legal Aid office serves a low-income population of over 7,000 persons. The office has been involved in many ground-breaking cases which have improved circumstances for poor people throughout the state, in addition to earning revenue and/or savings for the state.

 

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