LESLEE MATTHEWS
I am an advocate for social justice and passionate about connecting the community with resources and resources with the community. Plus, I’m also a Licensed Master Social Worker and attorney who has dedicated my life’s work to serving underserved people and communities.
I spent time growing up on Maui and moved back to Hawai‘i from Texas to attend law school to enhance my skills to better support underserved people and marginalized communities. From time spent in the lo‘i planting and harvesting kalo, to helping restore native forests in Kahikinui, to spending time working in and for communities here and abroad, I am so thankful for all of the lessons life, friends, new friends along the way and ‘ohana have taught me.
I earned my Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Texas Woman’s University and my Master of Science in Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington. Then I earned my Juris Doctor from William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
Following law school, I served as Legislative Attorney and a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney. I am honored to be the Immediate past President of the African American Lawyers Association of Hawaiʻi , Immediate past President of the Maui County Bar Association and serves as Special Counsel to the Judiciary.
I’m a Lecturer for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. I’m also the Founder and Managing Attorney of Speak Out & Up Law, LLLC, a Legal Empowerment Law Firm, focused on working to end violence against women and girls, building community with uncommon allies, elevating the voices of those who have been silenced, and enhancing service provision to underserved communities.
Speak Out & Up Law, LLLC, a Legal Empowerment Law Firm is rooted in Proverbs 31:8-9 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.”
Family Law
Immigration
Housing Justice
Disaster & Recovery
Reentry