Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation

Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC) is a nonprofit public-interest law firm founded in the 1970s to protect and advance Native Hawaiian identity, culture, ʻāina (land), and ʻohana (family). The organization integrates Kanaka Maoli values into litigation, administrative advocacy, transactional legal work, and community legal education. NHLC operates multiple practice programs (land and homestead rights, water rights, burial and wahi pana protection, cultural/intellectual property, disaster resilience, and family/community services) and provides direct legal representation and technical assistance to Native Hawaiian individuals, families, and communities. In its most recent annual reporting, NHLC reported hundreds of matters handled annually, dozens of active cases, and thousands of legal-service hours provided. In the last 2–3 years NHLC has expanded community-facing projects (including an expungement initiative and participation in the Kalana Ola Coalition for Compassionate Release) and continued active litigation and administrative advocacy on water, burial, and public-trust matters, including significant Environmental Court activity concerning East Maui stream diversions in 2026.