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Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice group picture
William S. Richardson School of Law student Mykie Ozoa, in maroon sweater, was one of half a dozen law students from Hawaiʻi and the Mainland who were 2015 summer interns with the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice.

William S. Richardson School of Law students have contributed more than 40,000 hours of free legal help to those in the community who cannot afford legal help through an organization called Advocates for Public Interest Law (APIL). In APIL’s three decades of service to Hawaiʻi, students have received 142 summer grants enabling them to provide thousands of hours of free legal help to vulnerable members of the community.

To raise funds for grants this summer, APIL will hold its 6th annual fundraising gala on Friday, February 26 at the Laniakea YWCA at 1040 Richards Street. All proceeds will go to providing funding for students working with non-profit public interest law firms and agencies serving traditionally underserved groups.

APIL takes pride in our continued legacy of supporting those in advocacy and public interest work, and the APIL Gala is a great opportunity for the legal community to come together to back this important mission,” said law school student Mykie Ozoa, one of the event coordinators.

Said Ozoa “These summer grants make it possible for students to gauge the needs of our community and to determine where we, the next generation of lawyers with a passion for social justice, can make the most impact. As a 2015 grantee, I am truly grateful to APIL, the public interest legal community, and all of our gracious donors.”

More about APIL

Approximately 30 nonprofit organizations have been the recipients of the grants provided by APIL, and they directly assist a wide variety of people in need, including immigrants, homeless individuals and families, and victims of elder abuse, domestic violence and sex trafficking.

School of Law Dean Avi Soifer said, “Year after year, some of our most exceptional students serve as the leaders of APIL and their hard work and the generosity of our community leads directly to legal assistance to some people who most need it.”

APIL Gala ticket information

Tickets are $25 for students and $35 for the general public for the 5:30-9 p.m. event. Children 8 and under are free. Tickets are available for online at www.apilgala.ticketleap.com/2016

Tickets may be picked up at the door, but will also be available on a walk-in basis at the door. There is metered parking behind ‘Iolani Place, but parking is also available at Ali‘i Place at 1099 Alakea Street.

—By Beverly Creamer

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