2022 Annual Awards
Outstanding Women Lawyer Award
Rep. Sylvia Luke
Judicial Achievement Award
Honorable Dayna Dias Beamer (ret.)
Lifetime Achievement Award
Avi Soifer
Distinguished Service
Jenny Silbiger
President's Award
Lynn Costales
Outstanding Women Lawyer Award
Rep. Sylvia Luke
Judicial Achievement Award
Honorable Dayna Dias Beamer (ret.)
Lifetime Achievement Award
Avi Soifer
Distinguished Service
Jenny Silbiger
President's Award
Lynn Costales
2022 Awardee Bios
Outstanding Women Lawyer Award
Rep. Sylvia Luke
Sylvia Luke was born in South Korea. Like many of Hawai’iʻs immigrants, her parents sought
better opportunities for their young family and moved to Honolulu in 1977. Enrolled as a fifth
grader at Kaʻahumanu Elementary, Sylvia could not speak English. She found an unexpected
hero in her homeroom teacher, who refused to send Sylvia to ESL class, insisting, instead, on
tutoring her everyday after school.
Her early experiences shaped Sylvia as a policy-maker. Sylvia has identified with the needs of
immigrant populations and consistently championed educational access and teacher retention.
While attending Roosevelt High School, Sylvia’s father passed away. Now widowed, Sylvia’s
mother struggled financially, yet instilled in her children that those less fortunate need
assistance. Her mother's influence and service to others would inspire Sylvia to become a civic
leader.
Sylvia’s first foray to public service came at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, when she
successfully ran for President of the Associated Students of University of Hawaiʻi, becoming the
first female president in almost a decade. After graduating from UH Mānoa, she attended San
Francisco School of Law where she received her J.D.
In 1998, Sylvia ran for the State House of Representatives and has continued to serve her
district to the present. During her tenure, she served as the Vice Speaker, Chair of the Judiciary
Committee, and most recently Chair of the Finance Committee. She has championed and
supported a number of significant legislative initiatives, including preschool expansion, increase in affordable housing, healthcare access, marriage equality, and criminal justice reform among others.
Judicial Achievement Award
Honorable Dayna Dias Beamer (ret.)
In 1997, a new Immigration Court was opened in Honolulu to cover Hawaiʻi, Guam, and later the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands. Judge Beamer was appointed as its first Immigration Judge by then U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. Judge Beamer served alone in that position in Honolulu for 13 years, often traveling to Guam, or other States as a visiting judge to help with huge caseloads. The cases involved arriving refugees from all over the world, intending immigrants, and residents convicted of criminal offenses resulting in removal proceedings. Judge Beamer presided at the Honolulu Court for a total of 23 years until her retirement in 2021, for a total of 33 years of service in the U.S. Department of Justice.
Born in Hawaiʻi, Judge Beamer is graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi Richardson School of Law, class of 1980, she has a B.A. from the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, and is a graduate of Castle High School in Kaneohe. Prior to being selected as Hawaiʻi’s first Immigration Judge, she was a government attorney for the former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, and a Deputy Attorney General for the State of Hawaiʻi.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Avi Soifer
Avi Soifer served as Dean of the Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai’i from 2003 until 2020, leaving an indelible, positive legacy on Hawai’i and on legal education far beyond our community. Although he stepped down from the deanship in 2020, Avi continues to teach and write at the Law School.
Avi has been a champion of women’s rights and a staunch advocate for gender equality for many decades. Even before his legal career, for example, Avi led efforts to genuinely co-educate Yale College and he spearheaded Coed Week in November, 1968, when over 1000 undergraduate women from more than 20 different colleges lived in Yale College dorms, attended classes, and discussed varied forms of coeducation. This grassroots effort played a key role in Yale’s decision to admit women the following fall.
After he received both a J.D. and a master’s degree in urban studies from Yale in 1972, Avi clerked for then-Federal District Court Judge Jon O. Newman and began his law teaching career at the University of Connecticut. He quickly became known nationally for his scholarship and his activism on behalf of civil rights and women’s rights, including his extensive work criticizing stereotypes and identifying unfulfilled legal promises. After receiving a Law and Humanities Fellowship at Harvard, he taught at Boston University School of Law and Boston College Law School, where he served as dean from 1993-1998.
Building on C.J. Richardson’s founding vision, at Richardson, Avi emphasized the Law School’s abiding commitment to social justice and diversity and its vital role within the community and far beyond our shores. Avi also has served on many national and local boards, and he has been a Commissioner on the Hawai’i Access to Justice Commission since its inception. Each year, he chairs the committee that organizes the annual conference that brings together local attorneys and national public service leaders. Avi has received numerous awards for his public service work: recently, for example, the Pro Bono & Public Section of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) gave Avi its annual Deborah L. Rhode Award.
Among highlights during his Richardson deanship, Avi lists hosting Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor in the Law School’s Jurist-in-Residence Program. During these visits, each Justice talked at a local public high school as well as met informally with members of the Hawaii Women Lawyers.
Avi explains that he grew up with, and learned early to collaborate with, outstanding strong women. He is married to award-winning documentary filmmaker Marlene Booth, and they delight in spending time with their two children, Raphael and Amira, and are greatly enjoying their new roles as grandparents.
Distinguished Service Award
Jenny Silbiger
Jenny Silbiger is the State Law Librarian and Access to Justice Coordinator for the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary. She serves as one of the Judiciary's liaisons to the Hawaiʻi Access to Justice Commission and also serves as co-chair of the Hawaiʻi State Bar Association's Committee on Delivery of Legal Services to the Public (DLSP). She is currently serving as President of the Hawaiʻi Library Association (HLA), and she is also a member of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), recently serving as Chair of the Government Law Libraries-Special Interest Section. As a member of the Self Represented Litigation Network (SRLN) - Law Librarians Working group, she is contributing to an analysis of law librarian participation with Access to Justice Commissions across the country.
She has presented to national and regional audiences on the topics of library partnerships promoting access to justice, legal information and resources for libraries and the public, as well as has facilitated and will contribute to upcoming discussions on systemic racism, diversity, and inclusion with library and law library professional colleagues in Hawaiʻi and on the US continent. Her writing has appeared online and in print sources such as Notes Between Us, the Hawaiʻi Bar Journal and the Hawaiʻi Review. Her edited book, Century of the Tiger: 100 Years of Korean Culture in America, was published by the University of Hawaiʻi Press in 2003 and received the Hawaiʻi Book Publishers Association's Ka Palapala Poʻokela Award for Excellence in Literature in 2004.
President's Award
Lynn Costales
Lynn has been a passionate advocate for victims of sexual abuse for the majority of her career. She previously served as head of the sex assault unit and then as Acting First Deputy at the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Currently, she serves as assistant director of the Sex Abuse Treatment Center, a program of Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children, serving victims of sexual assault throughout the island of Oʻahu.
Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, Lynn is a proud graduate of the William S. Richardson School of Law. Following graduation, she had the honor of clerking with the Honorable Marie N. Milks (ret.) and the Honorable Simeon Acoba (ret.), both then in the First Circuit Court, State of Hawaiʻi. That exposure to the criminal justice system led Lynn to begin her litigation career at the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney's Office where she became an expert in sex assault and sex trafficking cases, and which sparked a lifelong dedication to helping those harmed by sexual violence.
For Lynn, helping victims of sexual violence is the ultimate privilege. The work is rewarding and humbling. She holds a special affinity towards each victim, who empower her every day by their resilience, strength and courage in dealing with their complex and multifaceted traumas. She is honored every day to walk alongside these survivors on their journey towards healing and to bear witness to their strength. Taking a holistic approach, Lynn has leveraged her experiences to bring awareness to the plight of victims of sexual violence by appearing on PBS Insights regarding sex trafficking, morning news shows, and serving as a presenter at victim-centered conferences and other community groups. In addition to her work combatting sexual violence, Lynn also worked in private practice during the formative years of her career, at a small insurance defense firm with J. Patrick Gallagher and Harvey Henderson, where she eventually became a partner. They taught, guided, and nurtured her for nearly 13 years, before Lynn returned to the Prosecutor’s Office to continue her work on behalf of victims of sexual violence.
Lynn’s family is also a central inspiration to her. As the fifth of seven children, in a family with a Hawaiian mother and a Filipino father who was born in a small plantation community in Paʻia, Maui, Lynn comes from, and is influenced, by humble beginnings. Lynn has been married for over 18 years to a supportive man who hails from Fresno, California, and together they have a wonderful young daughter. Lynn makes it a priority to, and finds joy in, involving herself in her daughter’s activities, simultaneously getting to spend extra time with her daughter and giving back to the community through serving as class mom for her daughter’s hula halau, a judge for the school’s speech and debate team, a board member for her condominium association, and participating in career fairs to inspire students to develop careers in public service.
Previous Awardees
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Outstanding Women Lawyer Award 2020/2021 - Susan L. Arnett 2019/2020 - Senator Laura H. Thielen 2018 - Rebecca Copeland 2017 - Jennifer Solidum Rose 2016 - Joanne Grimes 2015 - Representative Linda Ichiyama 2014 - Janet Kelly 2013 - Representative Della Au Bellati 2012 - Senator Maile Shimabukuro 2011 - Shannon Wack & Jo Kim 2010 - Kathryn Matayoshi 2009 - Florence Nakakuni 2008 - Hazel Beh 2007 - Senator Colleen Hanabusa 2006 - Colleen Wong 2005 - Thalia Murphy 2004 - Lea Hong 2003 - Mari Matsuda 2002 - Congresswoman Patsy Mink 2001 - General Coral Wong Pietsch 2000 - Donna Tanoue 1999 - Susan Ichinose 1998 - Margery Bronster 1997 - Beadie Kanahele Dawson 1996 - Yuklin Aluli 1995 - Stephanie Rezents 1994 - Pamela Ferguson-Brey 1993 - Mervina Cash-Kaeo 1992 - Esther Kwon Arinaga 1991 - Ellen Godbey Carson 1990 - Lorraine Akiba 1989 - Joyce Neely & Leslie Hayashi 1987 - Elizabeth Fujiwara 1986 - Susan Oki Mollway 1985 - Sherry Broder 1984 - Angie King 1983 - Shelby Anne Floyd 1982 - Carol Mon Lee 1981 - Meredith Lennel Distinguished Service Award 2020/2021 - Nalani Fujimori Kaina 2019/2020 - Tracey S. Wiltgen 2018 - Karen Char 2017 - Avis Aokele Kalama 2016 - Zale Okazaki 2015 - Dr. Jill Omori 2014 - Honorable Karen Radius (Ret.) 2013 - Representative Sylvia Luke 2012 - Senator Mazie Hirono 2011 - Elizabeth Kent 2010 - Amy Agbayani 2009 - Adriana Ramelli 2008 - Rob Perez 2007 - Chris Chun 2006 - Carol Mon Lee 2005 - Laurie Tochiki 2004 - Nanci Kriedman 2003 - Lorraine Robinson 2002 - Denise Antolini 2001 - Allicyn Hikida Tasaka & Annelle Amaral 2000 - Ellen Godbey Carson 1999 - Diane Yukihiro Chang 1998 - Jacqueline Young 1997 - Dorothy "Dolly" Ching 1996 - Judy Weightman 1995 - Reverend Pamela Vessels & Anne Clarkin 1994 - Judy Sobin & Windward Spouse Abuse Coalition 1993 - Honorable Marie Milks 1992 - Rep. Annelle Amaral & Sara Lyn Smith 1991 - Chief Justice Herman T.F. Lum 1990 - Honorable Helen Gillmor 1989 - Senator Mary George 1987 - Naomi Campbell 1986 - Congresswoman Patsy Mink 1985 - C. Frederick Schutte 1984 - Honorable Betty Vitousek 1982 - Harriet Bouslog 1981 - Rhoda Lewis |
Lifetime Achievement Award 2020/2021 - Professor Carole J. Petersen 2019/2020 - Honorable Barbara P. Richardson (ret.) 2018 - Esther Arinaga 2017 - Vanessa Chong 2016 - Honorable Richard Clifton 2015 - Marya Grambs 2014 - Robert A. Chong 2013 - Director Loretta Fuddy 2012 - Marilyn Lee 2011 - Professor Jon Markham Van Dyke 2010 - Chief Justice Ronald T.Y. Moon 2009 - Mahealani Perez Wendt 2008 - Sonia Faust 2007 - Honorable Marcia Waldorf 2006 - Shimeji Ryusaki Kanazawa 2005 - Melody MacKenzie 2004 - Lois Yasui 2003 - Alana W. Lau 2002 - Shelby Anne Floyd 2001 - Beadie Kanahele Dawson 2000 - Bernice Littman 1999 - Ah Quon McElrath 1998 - Chief Justice William S. Richardson 1997 - Honorable Evelyn Lance 1996 - Congresswoman Patsy Mink 1995 - Honorable Betty Vitousek 1994 - Naomi Campbell President's Award 2020/2021 - The Domestic Violence Action Center & Nanci Kriedman 2019/2020 - Rachael Wong 2018 - Dr. Jackie Young 2017 - Senator Rosalyn Baker 2016 - Ellen Godbey Carson 2015 - Honorable Daniel R. Foley 2014 - Women of Waianae 2013 - HI State Commission on the Status of Women 2012 - Ete Bowl Founders & Participants 2011 - Susan Ichinose 2010 - Kimberlee Bassford 2009 - Elisabeth Chun 2008 - Melissa Pavlicek 2007 - Louise K. Y. Ing 2006 - Congresswoman Mazie Hirono 2005 - Representative Barbara Marumoto 2004 - Dr. Laura Weldon Hoque 2003 - Karen Char & June R. Lee 2002 - Lynn Maunakea 2001 - Patricia McManaman 2000 - Rai Saint Chu & Emme Tomimbang 1999 - M. Casey Jarman 1998 - Sister Michelle McQueeny 1997 - Gladys Kamakuokalani Alona Brandt 1996 - Honorable Marie Milks 1995 - Madelyn Perry & Reverend Pamela Boyd 1994 - Cynthia Thielen 1993 - Trudy Burns Stone 1992 - Sharon Burnham Takeuchi 1991 - Susan Arinaga Li 1990 - Michelle Tucker 1989 - Susan Jaworowski Outstanding Judicial Achievement Award 2020/2021 - Honorable Darien W.L. Ching Nagata 2019/2020 - Honorable Alexa D.M. Fujise 2018 - Honorable Helen Gillmor 2017 - Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald 2016 - Honorable Trudy Senda 2015 - Honorable Linda K.C. Luke 2014 - Honorable Jennifer Ching 2013 - Honorable Christine Kuriyama 2012 - Honorable Leslie Hayashi 2011 - Honorable Faye Koyanagi 2010 - Honorable Leslie Kobayashi 2009 - Honorable Corinne Watanabe 2008 - Honorable R. Mark Browning 2007 - Honorable Karen Radius 2006 - Honorable Sabrina S. McKenna 2005 - Honorable Colleen Hirai 2004 - Honorable Susan Oki Mollway 2003 - Honorable Marie Milks 2002 - Justice Paula Nakayama 2001 - Honorable Frances Wong |