| |
University of Hawai'i |
(808) 956-8856 Telephone |
For Immediate Release: |
August 31, 2000 |
Contact: Eileen Broms, Director of Development, Wm. S. Richardson School of Law, 956-6545 broms@hawaii.edu Mirabai Breemer, Public Relations Specialist (Law School) 956-5557
|
| Hawai`i Lawyer Establishes Awards to Recognize Civility |
Annual Awards Will Go to UH Law School Student, Practicing Attorney
Prominent Honolulu attorney John Edmunds recently established the Edmunds Awards for Civility and Vigorous Advocacy. Two Awards will be given out annually: one to a full-time student at the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawai`i, and one to a practicing Hawai`i attorney.
"I hope that by establishing these awards members of the legal community and the general public will recognize that tough, aggressive advocacy and civility are not mutually exclusive," said Edmunds. "Each recipient must stand out among her or his peers in demonstrating an ability to be both a civil and vigorous advocate."
A Law School committee selects the student recipient, who must be a member of one of three officially sponsored moot court teams that compete nationally.
In this inaugural year of the award, however, the committee decided to make three student awards: third-year student Paul Tanaka of the Environmental Law Moot Court Team, and second-year students Michelle Kim of the National Champion Native American Moot Court Team and Nichole Shimamoto of the Jessup International Law Moot Court Team.
The practitioner recipient is James Duffy, Jr., who was recently nominated by US Senator Daniel K. Inouye to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Duffy is awaiting Senate approval of his appointment. He is currently Of Counsel to the Honolulu law firm of Richards & Luke. He was selected by the Executive Committee of the American Inns of Court.
Mr. Edmunds, a long-time supporter of the UH Law School, has made a six-year pledge to fund these awards and to support student moot court participation through the University of Hawai`i Foundation.
The student competitions program at UH Law School has developed an exceptional reputation since its inception, with several teams winning national and regional titles in recent years, prevailing over teams from the nation's top schools, including Harvard, Yale and Stanford.
