AHFI NEWS ARCHIVE

• Ellen Godbey Carson invited to speak with the Tokyo Bar Association and certain judicial officials in Tokyo

Ellen Godbey Carson was invited to make a presentation to the Tokyo Bar Association and certain judicial officials in Tokyo late last year, as part of a Hawaii State Bar Association delegation that is assisting Japanese attorneys and judges in implementing a new jury system in Japan.  Ms. Carson and four other members of the Hawaii Bar shared experiences and perspectives on the American jury system to assist in gaining better participating and understanding of the role of citizens in the jury process.  Japan is in the process of implementing a jury system for the first time in that nation's history. Ms. Carson has spoken before in Tokyo on the American medical malpractice system and the role of law in encouraging high quality health care.

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• Ellen Godbey Carson was the keynote speaker at the Wester Region Zonta International convention

Ellen Godbey Carson was the keynote speaker at the Wester Region Zonta International convention held on the Big Island of Hawaii on September 22, 2007.  Zonta is a international organization of women executives and professionals, dedicated to service and advocacy for advancing the status of women.  Ellen spoke on "Changing the World -- One Woman at a Time", describing major disparities still existing worldwide in women's status, including poverty, illiteracy, domestic violence, and other factors threatening women's lives and ability to attain economic self-sufficiency.  Ellen outlined new creative approaches to addressing women's needs and proposed strategies for helping achieve equality for women both locally and globally.

• AHFI attorneys featured panelists on local tv show

Paul Alston and Ellen Godbey Carson appeared as panelists on the Hawaii Public Television series that ran in conjunction with the PBS series on the Supreme Court. Paul Alston is a past president of the Hawaii State Bar Assn (HSBA) and current chair of the HSBA Judicial Independence Task Force. Ellen Godbey Carson is also a past president of the HSBA and was recently awarded the Margaret Brent Award by the American Bar Assn, in part for her work on getting redress for Japanese-American internees during World War II. Both attorneys are directors and shareholders of Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing and have been recognized for their work in Constitutional law.

PBS aired a four-part series on the Supreme Court, which is described as “profiling the inner workings of one of the world’s most powerful panel of judges. But it’s not the story of the court, it’s the story of America.” With the cooperation of Chief Justice John Roberts, the series was given unprecedented TV access to the high court.

The HSBA, the William S. Richardson School of Law, the State of Hawaii Department of Education and American Savings Bank are the underwriters of this program. In addition to underwriting the series, the HSBA and Dan Boylan, host of PBS’ Island Insights program, taped two roundtable discussions discussing the Supreme Court, judicial independence, and the legal system, which panels was aired before the series.

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• Dianne Winter Brookins, New Director

Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing is proud to introduce our newest Shareholder, Dianne Winter Brookins .  Dianne's practice is focused in the area of Health Care Law. 

• Roman F. Amaguin Has Joined AHFI:

• Blake Oshiro selected as Toll Fellow:

Hawai`i State Representative Blake Oshiro, an associate attorney at the firm, is one of 40 state leaders selected nationally for the Toll Fellowship Program, sponsored by the Council of State Governments. Blake was first nominated by Speaker Calvin Say out of the other 51 representatives in Hawai`i and was then selected from many outstanding applicants by a committee of state elected and appointed officials as one of the most promising leaders of state government from across the country and Canada. Past Toll Fellowship graduates include governors, US Senators and members of Congress as well as leaders in state government.

“I was humbled and honored to have been selected for this program. It’s a exciting opportunity to gain additional tools and knowledge to become a more effective young leader for our state,” says Blake. “But more importantly, it will provide me with a greater nationwide network of respected leaders that I can draw upon for expertise and resources that will benefit our state. That network has already proven useful towards putting people in Hawai`i in touch with the right government leaders in other states.”

 

• ABA Margaret Brent Award:

Ellen Godbey Carson

As a fledgling attorney at a Washington, D.C. law firm, Ellen Godbey Carson took on the issue of redress for 120,000 Japanese-Americans who were interned during World War II and took it all the way to the Supreme Court.
 
Today, Carson is a respected attorney for the Hawai‘i firm of Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing and is being honored by the American Bar Association.

Fresh out of Harvard Law School, Carson was hired to research the Japanese-American internment. She became the case’s champion and a leader in redress efforts.

Carson’s dedication to fighting injustice through the law has brought her national honors at this year’s American Bar Association meeting. Carson will be among the distinguished honorees of the ABA’s Commission on Women in the Profession’s Margaret Brent Award.

The Award honors women attorneys who have achieved excellence in their field, influenced other women to pursue legal careers and advanced opportunities or opened doors for women in the profession. Past recipients include Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and former Attorney General Janet Reno.

“I am honored and humbled by this award,” said Carson. “I appreciate the dedication and sacrifice of so many who have assisted in efforts for justice and equality.”

Raised in Tennessee during the 1960s Civil Rights movement, Carson was deeply affected by the discrimination she saw. At 17, Carson took action. She dropped out of high school and headed for the University of Tennessee. After graduating with highest honors, Carson pursued a law degree at Harvard.
 
She has been a staunch advocate for the rights of families and a champion for victims of sexual assault. She is committed to advancing the right’s of women in Hawai‘i and improving the legal system to better serve justice