Dean's Message

Aloha! I am pleased to have the opportunity to introduce you to our excellent and exciting Environmental Law Program (ELP) at the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa. In 1988, our law school community made a decision to focus a substantial part of our resources toward furthering the goal of enlightened environmental stewardship here in Hawai`i and in the Pacific Region. Since that time, the ELP has matured into a comprehensive program that was ranked in the top twenty-five in the nation by U.S. News and World Report in 2000. Their diverse interests and expertise allow us to offer a program of study that represents the varied perspectives of the governmental, public interest, and private sectors. Students have unparalleled opportunities to engage in activities such as arguing mock cases before Hawai`i's Supreme Court and Intermediate Court of Appeals; externing with the U.S. Justice Department, the military, corporate law firms, public interest law firms, and the State Office of the Attorney General; testifying before the state Legislature; and presenting papers at national conferences. They also work in the lo`i (taro fields) with community groups, clean up streams, and help restore native vegetation to deforested areas. As Tom Pierce , a 1997 graduate whose practice with a private law firm on Maui focuses on business litigation, including environmental and land use issues, comments, "By the time I finished my Environmental Law Certificate, I was not only acquainted with all the major federal and state environmental statutes, I had also been introduced to most of the environmental lawyers in Hawai`i's legal community." We invite you to come join us to meet, learn from, and, one day, become part of Hawai'i's and the nation's community of lawyers.

Dean Lawrence C Foster

Dean Larry Foster meets with staff and students in the law school courtyard.

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