Domestic Violence Action Center welcomes Leslee Matthews as its VP of Legal Services

The Domestic Violence Action Center (DVAC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to alleviating domestic abuse in Hawaiʻi, welcomes attorney and social worker Leslee Matthews of Maui, as its vice president of legal services.

In this role, she will work alongside CEO Monique Ibarra and with staff and community stakeholders to providing trauma-informed legal services to survivors of domestic violence.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have Leslee on our team,” Ibarra said. “As a passionate social justice advocate, she is an ideal person to continue our crucial mission of bringing hope and help to survivors of domestic violence and move our organization into the future.”

Matthews earned her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Texas Woman’s University, her Master of Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington where she graduated Magna Cum Laude, and her law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Before returning to Hawaiʻi, she was a family specialist in the Special Victims Section of the Fort Worth Police Department where she specialized in working with victims of family violence. She was certified as a Domestic Violence Instructor by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

Following law school, Matthews worked as a legislative attorney and deputy prosecuting attorney. She is the founder & managing attorney of Speak Out & Up Law, LLLC, president of the African American Lawyers Association of Hawaiʻi, past president of the Maui County Bar Association, a board member of the Hawaiʻi State Bar Association’s Government Lawyers Section, a Member of the Women’s Prison Project, and a lecturer at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and the William S. Richardson School of Law.

Nineteen years ago this month, Matthews lost her best friend to domestic violence.

“Her memory drives me to fight for justice and support those affected by domestic violence,” she said. “This cause is deeply personal to me. This role allows me to fulfill my commitment to making a meaningful impact on the lives of those most in need with an incredible team.”