REPORT FROM THE HOUSE MAJORITY– Advocates for Public Interest Law (APIL) honored Representative Della Au Belatti (Makiki, Tantalus, Papakolea, McCully, Pawaa, Manoa) as this year’s Alumni of the Year at the 3rd Annual APIL Auction Gala, on Friday, March 22, 2013.
Representative Belatti was honored for her leadership in promoting public interest in the local community and for her commitment to the people of Hawai‘i. She is a co-founder of the Patsy T. Mink Legislative Fellowship Program, a member of the Hawai‘i Access to Justice Commission, and currently serves as the Chairperson of the House Committee on Health. In addition to her legislative work, Representative Belatti is an associate attorney with the Law Office of Eric A. Seitz.
APIL Alumni of the Year honorees are selected for their devotion to social justice and dedication to public interest law. All proceeds from the Auction Gala will go directly towards funding Summer 2013 grants for law students working in public interest law.
Advocates for Public Interest Law began in 1985 with a gift from that year’s graduating class of the University of Hawai‘i William S. Richardson School of Law. The goal of the organization is to increase access to justice for underrepresented groups in the community, provide hands-on training and experience to APIL grantees, and raise public consciousness regarding public interest law. APIL is composed of students from the William S. Richardson School of Law, a community group headed by a board of directors composed of attorneys, and other members of the Hawai‘i legal community.