OHA interim general counsel outlines staffing gaps, budget needs and continued contract support for beneficiary legal services

Interim General Counsel Everett Ota told the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Budget & Finance Committee on May 20 that the Corporate Counsel Office is understaffed and that the general counsel position has been vacant for about three-and-a-half years.

“The office is headed by the General Counsel, which I currently serve as the interim in that position,” Ota said, explaining the office currently relies on one full-time attorney supported by a temporary paralegal and outside counsel when specialized work arises.

Ota said the office provides in-house legal support to both OHA administration and the board and oversees risk and records management. He described a staffing plan to recruit a permanent general counsel and subordinate positions and noted some recruitments are open or pending. “The recruitment for the legal office administrator opened last week,” he said, and added other recruitments will be posted shortly.

Trustees pressed on causes and timing of the vacancies. Trustee Akina asked why so few positions are filled; Ota pointed to departures, retirements and difficulty recruiting viable candidates. Stacy Pereira, Kapohana (CEO), said the administration is re-examining the office’s structure and…