My father has been in an ongoing dispute with his next door neighbors for several years. My father is truly one of the most helpful, generous, humorous, and hardworking men I know--he is the neighborhood handyman for pretty much anyone on their street. However, the neighbors next door have a reputation in their area as the neighborhood bullies. As they did to the previous residents of my parents' house (before they bought it in 2003), their neighbors have weaponized the legal system against my father: Calling law enforcement for numerous frivolous reasons, ongoing verbal assaults, declining formal mediation, filing a TRO against him, and then literally admitting to attempting to goad my father into a reaction so they could have him criminally prosecuted.
In the latest dispute, my father was assigned court appointed public defenders. The first two strongly urged my father to simply plead guilty to the charges--things he never committed in the first place. One public defender was released because of what my father and our family deemed unprofessional behavior, and for lack of confidence. The second court appointed public defender told my father that everyone is actually "guilty until proven innocent," they never returned calls, lost paperwork, failed to show up to court, and finally had to recuse themself due to ongoing health issues (that they never disclosed previously).
After SEVENTEEN court appearances, my father was finally blessed when Joanne Hicks was assigned as his attorney. When we first learned of her, we researched her website--the top of which states: "We listen to the voices of the accused. - Ke hoʻolohe nei mākou i ka leo o ka mea i hoʻopiʻi ʻia." From that statement, we could immediately identify two things: 1. Hicks Law's approach was different than what my father had experienced with his two previous attorneys; and, 2. From the Hawaiian language, we could tell that Hicks Law shared and understood Local values.
In fact, Ms. Hicks was everything the other two attorneys were not: Supportive, compassionate, positive, communicative, active, and effective. So effective, in fact, that she was able to have my father's case quickly and permanently "dismissed with prejudice"--something the previous two attorneys were not able to accomplish across 17 appearances! It was completely apparent from the beginning of my father's interactions with Ms. Hicks that she knew what she was doing. Her additional advice on moving forward was also clear, understandable, and we value it as a family.
Hicks Law's website also states "Trusted defense for kamaʻāina and Hawaiʻi visitors." We can truly attest to the trustworthiness of Ms. Hicks' defense for kamaʻāina, so we trust that Joanne Hicks, Esq., can do the same for others who might be blessed to be her clients.
Ua piha nō mākou i ka mahalo he nui wale iā ia, iā Joanne Hicks, Esq. nō hoʻi. read more
