2026 Spring Break
NHLC Public Service Trip
Volunteer Reflections
Sooyong (March 9, 2026)
After an orientation at the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC), I was immediately impressed by its best practices and collegial culture. For example, supervisors upload their assignments to a centralized online database, and interns email the supervisors to show interest in assisting them when they find a project interesting and have the capacity to take it on.
The staff greeted us warmly. Devin, NHLC staff attorney and our pre-trip contact, told us that every staff member at NHLC is Native Hawaiian and a cultural practitioner, and that they like to share some of those practices with the student volunteers. True to that point, Angela, another staff attorney, immediately scheduled a surfing session with all of us on Wednesday upon meeting her.
The NHLC has an ongoing trial this week, so Henderson, the lead attorney for the trial, recruited us for support. NHLC litigated to ensure that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands clarifies its land lease successorship process, and we will be attending a hearing on the subject matter tomorrow. Devin separately asked us for help in drafting a motion for summary judgment brief. In particular, he asked us to draft up the standard of review for summary judgment and the evidentiary standard for a land easement issue. We finished the assignment before leaving for the day.
Melody (March 10, 2026)
Today we had the opportunity to attend a hearing at the first circuit court, just a five-minute walk from the office, and observe one of the attorneys argue a motion to dismiss in a case involving the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act. Afterward, the attorneys took us out to lunch, where we continued discussing the case, including the reasons argued in the motion and possible next steps in the trial. The attorneys were more than happy to answer our questions. The informal Q&A sessions throughout the day helped clarify and contextualize what we had observed in the courtroom, and offered insight into the strategic thinking guiding this litigation and the type of advocacy NHLC pursues.
In the afternoon, we returned to the office and began legal research connected to the issues raised in the case we observed in court that morning. Our team was assigned to explore proposals to amend the current rules governing the Hawaiian successorship process to address the procedural gaps that gave rise to the client’s issue. We worked together to draft a research outline and began examining comparable frameworks, including the Uniform Probate Code, the Federal Indian Law, and analogous state-law approaches.
The office also held a small send-off for another intern (his internship had been four weeks!) whose last day was today. It was great to see the warmth of the people at the NHLC office once again.
Angela (March 11, 2026)
Our work here has been very challenging, but also fun. We began writing the memo for our assignment, which involved trusts and estates as well as property law. While initially there was some confusion, it turned out to be a wonderful experience. The five of us sat around a big conference table, talking through the issues together for hours. Melody had some background in property law, so she was helpful in figuring out a starting point. The unique aspects of Hawaiian law made the assignment more interesting, such as the laws that protect the natives and the enforcement mechanisms and challenges that came with them. Even though the assignment was difficult, the work environment at NHLC made it super enjoyable. The attorneys were available at any time to answer our questions, and the comfortable office space was well stocked with snacks and drinks.
After work, we got dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant, then spent the evening at Dave & Buster’s. We have been working hard throughout the day, but taking advantage of our evenings to have fun. It has been really nice to bond more with Bianca, Melody, Czar, and Sooyong, especially since some of us never crossed paths before at the law school. It has been very tiring but super fun, and I feel extremely grateful to be here!
Czar (March 12, 2026)
Thursday was an interesting day, to say the least.
In the morning, we came in ready to trudge through the intricacies of wills and estates, Hawaiian trust law, and federal Indian policy relating to Native land. We were deep in the drafting process we started yesterday. I was inspired by my fellow colleagues and seeing them in action. Even when I was deeply confused, someone always had a good point to say, an idea I would’ve never thought about. We got in a couple of good hours of work until our airline notified us that it would help us change our flights due to the impending inclement weather.
I learned what a “Kona storm” is. It’s a tropical cyclone that develops in the Hawaiian Islands during the winter. It’s formed by winds coming from the westerly (or “kona”) direction. We’ve been hearing news reports about the storm’s potential impact on O‘ahu. But as predictions came in–with one saying the potential for up to a foot of torrential rain–we knew we had to act soon. NHLC decided to make Friday a remote day due to the storm. And after consulting with Henderson and Devin about our work and the incoming storm, we decided to book an earlier flight.
So by afternoon, we rushed back to our accommodation, packed our bags, and cleaned up the place. We wrote our thank-you cards and prepared a gift for Devin. I had to get my emergency Spam musubi for the road, and everyone made sure to stop at Foodland to grab Hawaiian snacks for the long ride back to the mainland. We flew from Honolulu to Kona (on Big Island), and then to Denver. While we were sad to leave, we made sure we completed our work in a timely manner. So yes, that involved some work on the trip back to Philly.
Overall, what struck me today was NHLC’s flexibility, kindness, and above all, grace towards this situation. I was moved by their hospitality throughout our short time with them. Grace gave us very generous parting gifts–an NHLC hoodie and stickers, neatly wrapped up in a bow. Devin shared how we were now part of NHLC’s ‘ohana. On behalf of the group, Sooyong put it best when he eloquently expressed our gratitude to learn native Hawaiian culture, issues, and the law from experts who were willing to share as much as they could with outsiders. That meant a lot to us.
Bianca (March 13, 2026)
After sudden inclement weather, our team spent Friday unexpectedly traveling back to Philadelphia. Amid the hectic nature of Thursday and the abrupt change in our plans, I was struck by the adaptability and dedication of each of my teammates. At 5 a.m. in the Denver airport, after ten hours of traveling and with five more still ahead, every member of the team was already back on their computers, researching and working on the memo. Prior to our departure, NHLC had shown tremendous understanding and worked with us to create a plan to submit a finished work product by the end of the week.
After our long day of travel, we finally made it back to Philadelphia. As everyone split off to go their separate ways home, I found myself reflecting on how grateful I was to have been part of such a wonderful team. Over the course of the trip, I learned so much: how to collaborate on legal research in a team setting, what an easement is, what the procedures for the successorship of Hawaiʻian lands are, and what a hearing looks like in practice, among many other things. Arriving back at the same airport we had departed from just a few days earlier, it was clear how much closer I had grown with each of my fellow travelers. I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity not only to support NHLC’s mission of advocating for Native Hawaiian rights but also to expand my legal knowledge and deepen these relationships.
After a short break, the entire group was back on the memo that evening, working hard. Thanks to the clear direction and communication from both NHLC and our trip leader, we made significant headway toward finishing it. Even though Friday unfolded in a completely unexpected way, the team made the most of it and remained focused on what we needed to do to submit the best memo possible to NHLC.