A program of the Business Law Corps, a tax-exempt, Hawaii nonprofit corporation.
Lawyers for Lahaina (“LFL”) is a program of the Business Law Corps, a tax-exempt, Hawaii nonprofit corporation. LFL offers free, pro bono legal services to the business owners and people of Lahaina, Kula, and other fire-damaged areas of West Maui to help them get back on their feet after the destruction caused by the wildfires that occurred on August 8, 2023. LFL was formed on August 11, 2023, and many of the members come from the Business Law Section of the Hawaii State Bar Association. LFL aims to offer services that are responsive to the needs of the people of West Maui, particularly from a business standpoint, and in that sense is and will remain a work in progress.
NOTE: We are not seeking any business. See More
Who We Are
The lawyers participating in LFL include business and transactional, real estate, banking, estate planning, and bankruptcy lawyers who practice in the State of Hawaii (including Maui), and from other parts of the country who have a connection to Hawaii. We are trained to review and advise clients on legal documents including leases, loan agreements, insurance contracts, and other business contracts. While we do not undertake litigation or claims, we can counsel you generally and as to terms of engagement of outside lawyers to represent you. We will help you as best we can, even if your question is not within our area of expertise. Our goal is to help.
Team
The founding team of LFL includes Cat Taschner, Kimi Ide-Foster, Nathan Wade, and Greg Kim. You can see our bios here
We Are Not Seeking Any Business
LFL’s lawyers will not solicit any West Maui residents or businesses that they serve through our program, and are required to withdraw from LFL if they do enter into any business arrangement (other than on a pro bono basis) with any such resident or business. Our policy is that LFL lawyers will not use the LFL program to generate any business, and none of our lawyers will, so long as they are with LFL, make any profits from the work we do, or they must resign from LFL. All of our lawyers are committed to this policy, which we adopted to avoid conflicts of interest, and to assure that all of our lawyers are offering their assistance for no personal gain.
About Business Law Corps (“BLC”)
The mission of BLC is to foster community economic development and spur job creation by providing pro bono legal services to new small business owners of limited means. Many entrepreneurs and small business have promising business ideas but lack the funding to secure competent counsel. Without representation, these entrepreneurs and small businesses are more likely to make critically fatal mistakes resulting in failed businesses, higher unemployment and local economic distress. The formation of BLC is a direct response to the pressing need that small businesses face in obtaining important legal and business advice. The purpose of BLC is to remove barriers to legal and economic justice. We are committed to supporting job creation and community enrichment by offering a legal service which matches worthy entrepreneurs with lawyers willing to provide free legal services. Through this platform, BLC fosters successful and thriving small businesses in communities across the country.
Geographic Scope
Although our name is “Lawyers for Lahaina” we offer services to those outside Lahaina who were impacted by the wildfires. Our services are available to anyone impacted by the wildfires, whether or not located in West Maui or nearby communities.
Collaborations
We know what we don’t know. If you contact us and we are not qualified to help you, we will strive to refer you to the resources you need. We are working on creating collaborations with Maui and other organizations and initiatives that are helping the people of West Maui, with the goal of being able to make referrals as necessary and appropriate.