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Hawaii County Council-25 November 3, 2015 <br /> MS. STEBBINS: Approximately. I mean I can't say for sure. <br /> MR. PALEKA: Hi Charmaine, how are you? <br /> MS. KAMAKA: I'm fine, thank you. What's the question? <br /> MR. PALEKA: Okay. So we're looking at$300,000. That should cover about <br /> two years. So, we're giving about $150,000 a year for an attorney? <br /> MS. KAMAKA: Possibly. <br /> CHR. KANUHA: If you can just restate your name for the record. <br /> MS. KAMAKA: My name is Charmaine Kamaka, and I'm the Human Resource <br /> Manager for the Health and Safety Division. I based that nurnber—I pulled that <br /> number—I looked back at what we spent for the firm of Pinnow and Ono,before <br /> she was a County Deputy, and we spent up to, close to$200,000 in one particular <br /> year. I don't foresee the hiring of a new attorney that specializes in work comp in <br /> the near future. The money doesn't lapse, it carries. So,until such time that the <br /> County is able to secure an attorney that would be dedicated to doing workers' <br /> compensation, we need the specialty. <br /> MR. PALEKA: So, when the case first comes in front of the labor department, <br /> the attorney's going to represent them from step one? <br /> MS. KAMAKA: No. <br /> MR. PALEKA: That's what I'm—okay. <br /> MS. KAMAKA: These are complex cases that require the services of an attorney. <br /> A lot of them are at the Appellate Board level, where you have to have the <br /> services of legal counsel. So—and it is a specialty,it really is. You can't dabble <br /> in work comp. If you do, we're going to be throwing away tax payers' money. <br /> They're complex cases, controverted cases. They're not—I respect these are our <br /> employees, and they're injured, but the claims that we're talking about that get <br /> referred to an attorney are very complex and litigated claims. <br /> MR. PALEKA: Do I still have the floor? Okay. I understand a little bit about <br /> workmans, and I know you know I represented workman's comp cases. <br /> MS. KAMAKA: I know. I know you know. <br /> MR. PALEKA: So that's why I just wanted the information to be out there for <br /> our constituents. So they understand why the money, and what the argument is in <br /> terms of hiring attorneys, when it reaches the level where we're going to have a <br /> Page 70 <br />