In 1983, the Board of Regents of the University of Hawai'i named our school the William S. Richardson School of Law. As former Chief Justice of the Hawai'i Supreme Court, William S. Richardson is fondly referred to as "CJ". During his tenure as Chief Justice, which lasted from his appointment in 1966 until his retirement in 1982, CJ Richardson wrote many opinions that have had a lasting impact on Hawai'i. These include important water and property rights cases such as the Ashford decision in which the Court ruled that all of Hawai'i's beaches are public property.

Determined that everyone in Hawai'i should have the opportunity to obtain a legal education, and not just those fortunate enough to have the resources to attend mainland schools, CJ Richardson played a key role in the establishment of the School of Law in 1973. CJ has an office at the Law School and regularly attends school functions where he shares his spirit of generosity and commitment to the law with students and faculty alike.