POWER Act 2021 - The Power of Pro Bono Services in the CNMI
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September 30, 2021
THE POWER OF PRO BONO
SERVICES IN THE CNMI
A POWER ACT VIRTUAL EVENT
The District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands presents a 2021 Power Act Outreach Video Event with pre-recorded video presentations featuring testimonies from the CNMI Family Court, the CNMI Bar Association, Micronesian Legal Services, Karidat, attorneys, and case workers who work with victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence to help promote pro bono legal services.
The POWER Act, which is the acronym for the “Pro bono Work to Empower and Represent Act of 2018” is a statute enacted by Congress that requires the chief district judge in each district to lead at least one public event in partnership with a State, local, tribal, or territorial domestic violence service provider or coalition and a State or local volunteer lawyer project, promoting pro bono legal services as a critical way in which to empower survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and engage citizens in assisting those survivors.
1 CLE credit offered for
CNMI Bar Members.
Please contact Peonie Cabrera
at the CNMI Bar Association at
cnmibar@gmail.com
This POWER Act event was made possible through the diligent and thoughtful work of District Court Clerk's Office staff members, Daniel Brown, Administrative Specialist and Clement Bermudes, Jr., Undergraduate Student Intern.
These videos are provided for informational purposes only to meet the District Court’s obligations under the POWER Act. They should not be considered as legal advice on any subject matter. The views expressed during the interviews in these videos belong solely to the individuals interviewed and do not necessarily represent any official policy or position of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.
2021 Power Act Event Participant Biographies
Lauri Ogumoro, MSW, ACSW is currently the Executive Director of Karidat, a Northern Mariana Islands Social Service agency. Karidat is the only non-profit agency in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands that provides a safety net to those living in poverty and victims of violence and natural disaster. Lauri managed Karidat’s “Guma’ Esperansa” the shelter for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking in the CNMI from September 2002 to April 2015. Lauri retired in 2001 after 20 years of service to the CNMI government as a medical social worker at the Commonwealth Health Center. While working at the Commonwealth Health Center, Lauri established the “Victim Help Project” in 1990 to assist victims of domestic violence and sexual assault as they sought services through the hospital clinics or emergency room. The Victim Help Project also coordinated and developed the first training program for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners in the Commonwealth. Lauri is a founding member of the CNMI Family Violence Task Force established in 1995, the CNMI Human Trafficking Intervention Coalition in 2006, and the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence in 2010. Lauri received a life-time achievement award from the Guam Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers in March 2011. Lauri’s social enterprise project, “Handcrafting Hope” for victims of human trafficking received a national Social Innovation Award from Catholic Charities USA in February 2014. Lauri also was appointed as chair of the CHCC Board of Trustees.
Calvani Deleon Guerrero was born and raised in Saipan. After graduating from high school, Calvani relocated to Hawaii and attended Hawaii Pacific University and obtained his BA in Justice Administration and a MS in Criminal Justice. Calvani gained significant work experience while living in Hawaii before moving back to the CNMI. He served as a former Director of the CNMI Division of Youth Services for a year before moving to Karidat Social Services, and served as victim's advocate for over 11 years and about 4 years as a case manager for Karidat's human trafficking program.
Charity R. Hodson is an attorney licensed to practice in California and the CNMI. After clerking in the CNMI Superior Court for approximately three years, Ms. Hodson opened a private practice in 2015 where she provides legal services in general litigation, with a focus in probate, property issues, and contract disputes. Ms. Hodson also serves as the President of the CNMI Bar Association.
Peonie Cabrera Mills was born and raised in Saipan. She attended Northern Marianas College and Boise State University for studies in Business Administration. Ms. Mills has served as the Executive Director for the CNMI Bar Association since 2019.
Queanna Sablan was appointed Manager of the CNMI Superior Court's Family Court Division in September of 2020. Prior to becoming the Family Court Manager, she served as a caseworker for the CNMI Superior Court's Drug Court Division and a program manager for the Northern Marianas College's CNMI Area Health Education Center. She attained her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Public Administration from the University of Guam in 2012. Her interest in the criminal justice system stems from her father, a police officer with the CNMI Department of Public Safety for almost 30 years. As the Family Court Manager, Queanna aims to improve services for clients, many who are unrepresented by attorneys, by providing better communication and speedy and timely service. Queanna is a Chamorrita, born and raised in Saipan. She is the proud mother of an energetic and curios 2-year-old, Allie Reiwa.
Jane Mack has been an attorney in the CNMI for nearly 37 years, and works as the Directing Attorney of the Marianas Office of Micronesian Legal Services Corp. She served as a Special Judge in the Commonwealth Courts from 1993 to 1999. In 2021, the CNMI House of Representatives recognized Jane with House Resolution 22-7 to acknowledge her years of public service and exemplary accomplishments and contributions to Commonwealth. She obtained her Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas. She possesses admission to the CNMI Supreme Court, the CNMI Superior Court, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Ninth Circuit of Appeals, the U.S. Sixth Circuit of Appeals, the District Court for the NMI, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, and the State of Ohio courts. She is also a member of the CNMI Bar Association.
Colin Thompson graduated from the University of California in Berkeley and is the Managing Attorney for Thompson Law, LLC. Colin has been practicing law in the CNMI and California since 1996. His practice focuses on criminal defense, business law, civil litigation, and probate. Prior to his position now, Mr. Thompson served as a former prosecutor and later special prosecutor for the CNMI Attorney General’s Office, criminal division. Mr. Thompson also served as the president of the CNMI Disciplinary Committee, Ninth Circuit representative for the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, and as the CNMI alternate public defender. Currently, he is serving as one of twelve Criminal Justice Act panel members for the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.
