The Law School sponsors and hosts many student organizations and associations that combine students of similar interests. Through these formal and informal groups, students interact with members of the Hawai`i legal community, promote awareness of issues affecting minority populations, and participate in a vast variety of events throughout the academic year.
Advocates for Public Interest Law
Advocates for Public Interest Law ("APIL") is the principal organization at the University of Hawai`i's William S. Richardson School of Law devoted to the advancement of public interest law. APIL's fundamental purpose is to foster the philosophy and practice of public interest law within Hawai`i's legal community and among the students and graduates of the Richardson School of Law.
`Ahahui O Hawai`i is the oldest student organization at the Richardson School of Law and welcomes all students to become members. The Hui promotes and encourages discussion and scholarship on issues impacting the Native Hawaiian community and advocates for justice for Hawaiians.
With more than 400,000 members, the ABA provides law school accreditation, continuing legal education, information about the law, programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work, and initiatives to improve the legal system for the public. The Mission of the American Bar Association is to be the national representative of the legal profession, serving the public and the profession by promoting justice, professional excellence and respect for the law.
American Constitutional Society
The Richardson Chapter of this national organization hosts and co-hosts events that raise federal constitutional law and policy questions. ACS focuses on human values and a progressive vision of the Constitution and engages in educational and intellectual conversation and debate regarding the present and the future of American policy.
American Inns of Court
The American Inns of Court is a national organization of senior judges and attorneys that promotes excellence in legal advocacy at the trial and appellate levels among young lawyers and law students ("pupils"). The organization also seeks to foster greater understanding of and appreciation for the adversary system of dispute resolution in American law.
American Trial Lawyers Association Student Chapter
ATLA works with students to teach the fundamentals of the court room: from opening and closing statements to direct and cross-examinations.
The Asian-Pacific Law and Policy Journal Organization
The Asian-Pacific Law and Policy Journal (APL&PJ) is a web-based legal journal dedicated to issues facing Asia and the Pacific Rim. Founded in 1999 by law students at the William S. Richardson School of Law, the Journal provides a worldwide forum for the presentation and discussion of legal, policy-based and socio-economic issues in the region.
Black Law Students Association
Business Executive Legal Society
The Business Executive Legal Society (BELS) at the William S. Richardson School of Law (WSRSL) is a graduate/professional organization providing a vehicle for WSRSL students interested in business law to exchange ideas, to network with practitioners in the business and business law communities, and to prepare for successful careers in business law through practical and academic applications of the WSRSL curriculum.
Christian Legal Society
A local chapter of this nationwide professional association founded in 1961 provides Christian law students, lawyers, and judges with a means of mutual sharing and of witnessing to the legal community. Present activities include fellowship and discussion group meetings, and service projects as determined by the members.
Delta Theta Phi Legal Fraternity
Delta Theta Phi (DTP) is a Legal Fraternity at Richardson with over 100 members. DTP enhances the law school experience by providing academic support, networking opportunities and fosters lifelong relationship with fellow students, attorneys, and the community at large.
The Environmental Law Society (ELS) provides students and the general community with exposure to environmental issues and laws, participates in conservation efforts, and develops students' skills to participate in the making of sound environmental policy. ELS offers exciting hikes, service projects, movie nights, and Summer grants.
Ete Football team
Ete is a flag football team comprising of the law school female students. Each year they play in the Ete Bowl, a flag football game between the Etes and the alumni team, The Bruzers.
Dedicated to providing visiting conservative and libertarian academics and luminaries in the spirit of bringing frank and open debate of current issues to the law school.
Filipino Law Students Association
As a go-between between the law school and the Hawai`i Filipino Lawyers Association (HFLA), the Filipino Law Students Association (FLSA) is dedicated to the furtherance of the Filipino community, with particular emphasis on Filipinos in the legal community. Our major contribution is in the form of the FLSA Scholarships offered to two incoming law students that demonstrate a commitment to serving the Filipino community. FLSA
La Alianza
La Alianza promotes awareness about and justice for the growing and diverse Latino/a community in Hawai'i. We foster connections between local and global Latino/a communities through advocacy and collaboration, while providing opportunities for law students to engage in academic, cultural, social and community service activities.
LAMBDA Law Student Association
Lambda is dedicated to promoting advocacy and support for law students and other persons in the local and greater community who are of diverse sexual orientation and/or sexual minorities. Lambda seeks to foster communication regarding issues relating to persons of diverse sexual orientation and to bring greater awareness to the law school community of these issues.
National Lawyers Guild
The Guild is dedicated to the need for basic change in the structure of our political and economic system. It seeks to unite lawyers, law students, legal workers, and jailhouse lawyers of American into an organization that functions as an effective political and social force in the service of the people.
Pacific-Asian Legal Studies Organization
The Pacific-Asian Legal Studies Organization (PALSO) is committed to developing an understanding of Pacific-Asian legal systems through both academic and social activities. PALSO regularly welcomes attorneys and academics for talks and lectures on a range of topics and hosts a number of social events that gathers the law school community to promote our common interests in Pacific and Asian cultures.
Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity, Richardson Inn
Phi Delta Phi is the largest and oldest national legal fraternity. A local inn of the fraternity, formed in the spring of 1979, is named in honor of former Chief Justice William S. Richardson of the Hawai`i Supreme Court. The fraternity is dedicated to the professional and social interests of its members and to service to the School of Law. Membership is open to all men and women law students who have completed their first semester of law school.
Public Health Law Organization
PHLO's objectives are to promote public health awareness, to participate in public health activities, and to encourage discussion about public health issues. PHLO publishes the Public Health Law and Policy Journal, an annual online publication.
Student Animal Legal Defense Fund
Affiliated with the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF) is dedicated to the goals of educating the law school and surrounding community about forms of institutionalized animal abuse, and engaging in projects that combat that abuse. The SALDF is equally dedicated to protecting the lives and advancing the interests of animals through the legal system and to raising the profile of the field of animal law.
Student Bar Association
The Student Bar Association (SBA) is the Law School's student government, elected by and representing more than three hundred students. The SBA is the student body's advocate within the the law school campus, the larger university and is also an umbrella organization overseeing nearly two dozen student organizations.
