Lawyers for Equal Justice

Conceived as a complement to existing providers of legal service that assist financially disadvantaged individuals, Lawyers for Equal Justice (LEJ) was founded as a nonprofit law firm to advocate for low income residents of Hawaiʻi.

The mission of LEJ was to help clients gain access to the resources, services and fair treatment needed to realize their opportunities for self-achievement and economic security. Central to this mission are the core values held by most people in Hawaiʻi, such as fairness, opportunity, community, partnership, responsibility and ensuring equal access to justice for low and moderate income residents.

The cases of LEJ changed systems and policies to make justice, equality and opportunity more available to everyone. LEJ carried out its mission by engaging in:

1. Legal advocacy, including the bringing of class actions, to assist low-income residents and communities to enforce their rights and receive benefits guaranteed by law or governmental policies;

2. Legislative and administrative advocacy to ensure that policies, laws and practices affecting low-income residents are well designed and implemented legally, fairly and effectively; and

3. Legal education to inform low-income individuals and groups of their rights and the options available to exercise those rights.

Between 2004–2022, LEJ used class action litigation to stand up for the rights of hundreds of thousands of low-income households throughout Hawaiʻi. LEJ’s cases have resulted in deep and lasting changes, improving health and safety, increasing economic and educational opportunities, and saving lives.

If we were to design a justice system that provides true and fair access to courts and legislature for low-income communities, what would the critical components look like?

There is general agreement that those components should include: legal education to explore options for resolving problems; individual assistance and representation when court intervention is needed; and systemic litigation and advocacy to protect and enforce legal rights.

That vision began to emerge in 1966, with the federal government’s “War on Poverty” and the establishment of a national legal services network.

In Hawaiʻi, the Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi (LASH) became a recipient of that funding. Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, LASH attorneys used Supreme Court opinions expanding the rights of the poor to advance the interests of low-income individuals. Government programs were revamped, and policies were implemented to protect recipients from losing financial assistance, public housing, job training, and other benefits.

But retaliation followed. After LASH’s first court victories in the mid-1970s, the state subtracted any awarded attorney’s fees from LASH’s annual appropriation.

A second assault came under President Reagan, who sought to eliminate all federal funding for legal services. Though his ultimate goal failed, LASH and other programs saw federal funding cut by 30 percent, along with restrictions prohibiting the use of federal funds for systemic advocacy. LASH absorbed the loss and adjusted.

In 1994, under Newt Gingrich, Congress prohibited legal aid programs receiving Legal Services Corporation (LSC) funding from engaging in class actions, requesting attorney’s fees, or pursuing legislative and administrative advocacy for systemic change.

These restrictions dramatically affected LASH. In response, Lawyers for Equal Justice (LEJ) was created to provide class action and systemic advocacy.

In 2011, LEJ changed its name to Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, joining the national Appleseed Network and expanding into legislative advocacy, community education, housing, child nutrition, tax policy, parental leave, and minimum wage reform.

In 2019, Hawaiʻi Appleseed relaunched LEJ as an independent brand with a separate mandate to continue impact litigation. But as of 2022, LEJ is no longer in operation.

Today, Hawaiʻi Appleseed continues the fight—through policy advocacy, community education, coalition building, and data-driven research—to build a justice system that works for those who need it most. The vision remains. The work continues.

1. Is Lawyers for Equal Justice taking clients?

   No, LEJ is no longer operating and therefore is not taking clients.

2. Is Hawaiʻi Appleseed a law firm?

   No, Hawaiʻi Appleseed is not a law firm and does not provide legal services.

3. What does Hawaiʻi Appleseed do?

   Hawaiʻi Appleseed changes law and the local and state levels to better reflect the needs and wants of Hawaiʻi’s communities through research, data analysis, legislative advocacy, coalition-and relationship-building and strategic communications.

4. Where can I go to get legal support?

   The Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi provides free civil legal assistance to low-income individuals and does not charge their clients for legal services.

   • 808-536-4302 (Oʻahu)

   • 1-800-499-4302 (all other islands)