Wailuku attorney Benjamin Acob (second from left) receives the 2016 Outstanding Volunteer Award for his work at the Self Help Center at Hoapili Hale, the state Judiciary building in Wailuku. With Acob are (from left) Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald, 2nd Circuit Chief Judge Joseph Cardoza and Maui County Bar Association President Jake Lowenthal. The Maui News / LILA FUJIMOTO photo

WAILUKU — Wailuku attorney Benjamin Acob, who went beyond his volunteer work at the Judiciary’s Self Help Center to help a family keep their low-income home last Christmas, was honored as the 2016 outstanding volunteer for the center.

“He’s been like our shining star, and I want to shout out to him especially,” Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald said during an “Access to Justice” luncheon Tuesday at Hoapili Hale, the state Judiciary building.

Acob was recognized for his 51 volunteer hours at the center during the past year.

Volunteer attorneys staff the center, which is open from 9 a.m. to noon Thursdays on the first floor of Hoapili Hale. Attorneys provide legal information to self-represented residents seeking help for some Family and District court civil matters, including landlord-tenant disputes, small claims and family law cases.

“It’s an incredible, incredible asset for folks here on Maui,” Recktenwald said, addressing attorneys, including many who volunteered. “What you do gives the promise of justice for all a reality.”

The luncheon was held in the courtroom of 2nd Circuit Judge Rhonda Loo, who spearheaded the effort to open the Maui center.

Statewide, Recktenwald said Judiciary Self Help Centers have helped more than 13,000 people. The Maui center has helped more than 500 people a year, with more than 40 attorneys involved since it opened in October 2012.

Recktenwald said keeping the centers going is an important part of the goal of moving toward providing “100 percent access to justice.”

“They are really the backbone of what we do,” Recktenwald said.

He said the Judiciary is working with Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii to implement an online system for providing legal information so people can submit questions online. Attorneys would be able to decide which questions they want to answer and do so within three days, which would be more convenient for attorneys as well as those seeking help, Recktenwald said.

“They can get that information without having to come in to the Self Help Center,” Recktenwald said, noting that jobs and geography could make it difficult for people to go to the centers.

Maui County residents of Molokai, Lanai and other outlying areas such as Hana can get help by calling the center at 495-5527 during its regular hours.

“I’m grateful,” Acob said after he received the award. “Throughout my career in the prosecutor’s office and as a private attorney, I have seen many cases involving less-fortunate people needing help in many areas in their lives, including legal needs.

“I am so grateful for the privilege to practice law, and helping out is a way to show that gratitude.”

Acob, an attorney since 1987 and former Maui County prosecuting attorney now in private practice, said one case that stands out from his volunteer work at the center involved a family of six who were being thrown out of their low-income home last Christmas.

In addition to providing information at the Self Help Center, Acob ended up volunteering to take on the family’s case in District Court, asking a judge to delay signing a writ of possession.

“I’m so thankful to the judge that she did not sign the writ,” he said. “If she did, they would be out on the streets.”

He said the case was eventually dismissed and the family, including an infant, could stay in their home. “They’re still living there,” Acob said.

He said English was the second language for the Polynesian family, adding to the difficulty of navigating the court system.

“I can’t forget that case,” Acob said. “They were going to be thrown out about Christmas last year. That’s the kind of story that keeps you going. You’re able to help people.”

Acob, who handles criminal cases in most of his practice, said he feels “like I am sprinting” as he tries to volunteer as much as he can while he can.

“It’s about the people we want to help,” he said. “There are a lot of people that come to the center. It’s unbelievable.”

Acob was among 23 volunteers for the Self Help Center this year, said 2nd Circuit Chief Judge Joseph Cardoza. He urged volunteer attorneys “to encourage others to do what you’re doing.”

Like Acob, many of the attorneys recognized Tuesday have been volunteering consistently at the center, Cardoza said.

The other attorneys recognized were Lauren Akitake, Caroline Belsom, Nicole Forelli, J. Kevin Jenkins, Tracy Jones, Timothy McNulty, Keri Mehling, Yukari Murakami, Judith Neustadter Naone, David Raatz, Sam Schnider, Danielle Sears and Brianne Wong Leong.

“Given the very limited amount of time that lawyers have to do anything outside of their work, the fact that they were able to put in as much time as they did volunteering is a testament to who they are,” said Jake Lowenthal, president of the Maui County Bar Association. “I hope that every lawyer in the bar is able to contribute at one time or another because it’s such a good cause.”

Attorneys are required to complete a Judiciary training program before becoming volunteers.

* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.