The Law School:
Excellence in an 'Ohana (Family) Atmosphere
Professors Leina'ala Seeger and M. Casey Jarman,
members of the School of Law's Halau Kaleipaukupua'enaikala." The William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai'i is located in beautiful Manoa Valley on the island of O'ahu. Opened in 1973, it is the only law school in the state of Hawai'i. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the American Association of Law Schools. The School of Law juris doctor program prepares degree candidates for active and effective professional participation in legal counseling, advocacy and decision making--whether in the courtroom or the legislature, attorney's office or corporate board room, state agency or federal commission, community center or international conference. At the School of Law, students are encouraged to study law and legal institutions as integral parts of larger social, political-economic, and ecological systems.
The School of Law's accomplished student body of approximately 240 is the most ethnically diverse in the nation, attracting students from a number of Pacific/Asian countries, as well as from Hawai'i's many ethnic groups. With a permanent faculty of 18 and more than 30 local attorneys and judges who serve as adjunct professors, classes are small. In this ohana atmosphere, student-faculty interaction is encouraged--whether it involves a lively class discussion of cutting-edge land use issues, a field trip to a polluted waterway, or collaborative efforts to teach community workshops.
The School of Law offers a rich curriculum that includes two specialty certificates--Environmental Law and Pacific-Asian Legal Studies--that provide students a focused course of study and an advantage in launching their careers. Students can also select from a number of clinics, both live-client and simulated. In 1992, at the suggestion of the students, the School of Law adopted a 60-hour pro bono (public service) graduation requirment. The School of Law's moot court teams (Environmental, Native American, Client Counseling, and Jessup International) have an impressive history of success in both national and international competitions, including several regional and national championships. The student body takes advantage of the School of Law's unique position in the Pacific Region and of Hawai'i's rich cultural history by participating in such diverse activities as externships in Asia, working on native Hawaiian rights and sovereignty issues, and learning hula with the law school's halau (dance group). Visit our website at www.hawaii.edu/law to learn more about our School.
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