STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3566

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    JUD. COM. NO.  8

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred Judiciary Communication No. 8, submitting for study and consideration the appointment of: 

DISTRICT FAMILY COURT OF THE SECOND CIRCUIT, STATE OF HAWAII

     J.C. No. 8    ADRIANNE N. HEELY

                   for a term to expire in six years,

begs leave to report as follows:

     Your Committee has reviewed the resume submitted by the appointee and finds Adrianne N. Heely to possess the requisite qualifications to be appointed to the District Family Court of the Second Circuit, State of Hawaii.

     Testimony in support of the appointment of Ms. Heely was submitted by the Department of Budget and Finance; Office of the Public Defender, Maui Office; Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, County of Maui; Maui Police Commission; and thirty-four individuals.  Comments were submitted by the Board of Directors of the Hawaii State Bar Association.

     The Hawaii State Bar Association Board of Directors found the appointee to be qualified for the position of District Family Court Judge, Second Circuit, based on established criteria for determining the qualifications of judicial and executive appointments generally using the American Bar Association Guidelines for Reviewing Qualifications of Candidates for State Judicial Office.  Specifically, the Board uses the following criteria in its deliberations:  integrity and diligence, legal knowledge and ability, professional experience, judicial temperament, financial responsibility, public service, health, and responsibilities and duties required of the position for which the applicant has been nominated.  The Board's rating system includes the categories of "qualified" and "not qualified."

     Ms. Heely earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and her Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  While in law school, she received a national award for an essay that was published in Vermont Law School's Environmental Law Journal.  She was also the recipient of the Hawaii State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Award for Best Second Year Seminar Paper, Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) (AmJur) Award for Civil Rights, and CALI (AmJur) Award for Second Year Seminar, and recognized as the Outstanding Student in the Native Hawaiian Rights Clinic.

     Ms. Heely currently serves as Deputy Corporation Counsel for the Department of the Corporation Counsel of the County of Maui.  She is the team leader for the Counseling and Drafting Section's Finance, Public Safety, and Human Resources Team and serves as the primary attorney assigned to advise the Corporation Counsel's Budget & Finance Committee, the Department of Finance and its Real Property Tax and Purchasing Divisions, Department of Fire and Public Safety, Department of Personnel Services, and various boards and commissions, including the Real Property Tax Board of Review, Fire and Public Safety Commission, and Board of Ethics.  She also advises and represents Maui County's interests in interest arbitrations.  She previously served as a Litigation Associate Attorney with the Law Offices of Frank K. Goto, Jr., Hisaka Goto Yoshida Cosgrove & Ching, and Ashford & Wriston, LLP.  She also served as a Deputy Public Defender for the Oahu and Maui Offices of the Office of the Public Defender and as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Michael A. Town.

     Ms. Heely has been very active in providing pro bono services to the legal community and general public.  She was recently appointed to the Board of Bar Examiners of the Hawaii Supreme Court and currently serves as Vice-President for the Maui County Bar Association.  She is the former Chairperson of the Hawaii State Bar Association's Government Lawyers Section and former Director of the Hawaii State Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division.  She also previously served as a Kamehameha Schools' soccer coach for the Intermediate Girls', Junior Varsity Boys', and Varsity Girls' teams.

     Testimony in support of Ms. Heely's appointment commends her diverse professional experience as an attorney in various aspects of government operations and within the Judiciary.  She is described as having an engaging demeanor.  Her open approach with clients demonstrates her willingness to listen.  She is eager to understand as many aspects of a matter or issue regardless of the complexity and is open to analyzing as many various options as necessary to reach a solution.  She possesses the highest integrity, credibility, and morals that will serve her well in becoming an outstanding jurist.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the appointee, has found the appointee to be qualified for the position to which appointed and recommends that the Senate consent to the appointment.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair