Current HWL Officers and Directors

​President - Michi Momose
Vice President - Nicole Altman
Secretary -  Tara Buckley
Treasurer - Erin Kobayashi
Immediate Past President - Kimi Ide-Foster

​Directors
Stephanie Batzer
Pohai Nuuhiwa Campbell
Samantha Chan
Jill Hasegawa
Mihoko Ito
Nicole Kalakau
Amanda Lavis
Tricia Nakamatsu
Jennifer Ontai
Alana Peacott-Ricardos
Molly Stebbins
​Shan Wirt

​Law Student Reps
Joanna Amberger
Harley Broyles
Maricar Daoang
Elise Hatsuko
Caroline Kikkawa
Madison McDonald
Gloria Palma
Mana Shim
Tiffany Silva
Sara Thornburg

​​HWL History
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​Founded in 1976, HWL has been at the forefront of significant legal issues affecting women attorneys, women, children and families.


Notable Projects

• Organizing and hosting the "Hawaii Women Lawyers Presents: 2020 Honolulu Prosecutors Debate" on Saturday, July 11, 2020, in partnership with ThinkTech Hawaii and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. A full video of the debate can be viewed HERE.
• Co-sponsoring the Domestic Violence Legal Hotline in 1988 which eventually became the Domestic Violence Action Center
• Writing and publishing the first edition of Our Rights, Our Lives: A Guide to Women’s Legal Rights in Hawai`i
• Supporting the publication Called from Within, a collection of biographies featuring many pioneering women attorneys in Hawaii​

​Milestones for Women Lawyers in Hawaii
1888: Almeda Hitchcock, first woman admitted to practice law; only woman admitted in the 19th century
1900: Elizabeth Helena Ryan, first woman to sign the “Roll of Attorneys” for the federal district court
1916: Marguerite Ashford, first woman admitted to practice law in the Territory of Hawaii
1925: Carrick Hume Buck, first woman assistant U.S. District Attorney for the Territory of Hawaii
1934: Carrick Hume Buck, first woman appointed to a judgeship in Hawaii
1942: Sau Ung Loo Chan, first Asian woman admitted to the Bar
1944: Jean Vaughan Gilbert, first woman City and County attorney for Honolulu
1955: Patsy Mink, first Japanese-American woman elected to the territorial legislature
1959: Rhoda Lewis, first woman appointed to the Hawaii Supreme Court
1960: Betty Vitousek, first woman appointed executive director of the Hawaii State Bar Association
1965: Patsy Mink, first female minority in Congress; first Asian American woman elected to Congress
1970: Betty Vitousek first woman appointed as a Family Court judge
1972: Patsy Mink, the first Asian American woman to seek the US Presidential nomination
1976: Hawaii Women Lawyers established by Rai Saint Chu
1982: The Hawaii Women’s Lawyer Foundation established (The Hawaii Women’s Legal Foundation)
1980: Marie Nakanishi Milks, first woman appointed to District Court; also first Asian.
1983: Patsy Mink, first woman attorney chair of the City Council
1984: Marie Milks, first woman appointed as a Circuit Court judge
Mid 1980s: Patricia Devlin, first woman managing partner of a large law firm (Carlsmith Ball, LLP)
1986: Corinne Watanabe, Hawaii’s first woman Attorney General
1992: Corinne Watanabe, first woman on the Intermediate Court of Appeals
1993: Paula Nakayama, second woman appointed to the Hawaii Supreme Court
1994: Helen Gillmor, first woman appointed to Hawaii District Court federal bench
1996: Faye Kurren, CEO of Tesoro, 1st woman attorney CEO
1998: Susan Mollway, first Japanese-American appointed to the Federal District Court nationwide
2002: Marcia Waldorf, first woman judge from Hawaii to receive the ABA’s Franklin Flaschner Award
2003: Rosemary Fazio, first woman on the Judicial Selection Commission
2006: Colleen Hanabusa, first woman attorney elected President of the Hawaii Senate
2007: Rosemary Fazio, first woman attorney chair of the Judicial Selection Commission
2009: Florence Nakakuni, first woman appointed as United States District Attorney in Hawaii
2011: Sabrina McKenna, third woman appointed to the Hawaii Supreme Court
2012: Mazie Hirono, first Asian American woman in the U.S. Senate

***If any information on this list appears incorrect, please contact us at hawaiiwomenlawyers@gmail.com.
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