Rule 155 Right to Counsel.

If you're involved in a family court case in Hawaiʻi, you have the right to hire your own lawyer to represent you in any proceeding. You can choose and pay for an attorney to help with your case if you want one.

For certain cases involving children (specifically those covered under HRS sections 571-11(1) and (2), which deal with things like custody and child welfare matters), the court also has the power to appoint a lawyer for the child. This happens when the judge decides it makes sense given the situation, even if no one has asked for it. The idea is to make sure a child's interests are properly represented when the court thinks it's needed.

This rule gives adults control over hiring their own legal help, while also giving judges flexibility to protect children by getting them a lawyer when circumstances call for it.