Administration
2515 Dole Street
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-7966
(808) 956-3000 (Application Request Line)
Fax: (808) 956-6402
E-mail: lawadm@hawaii.edu
Web: www.hawaii.edu/law
Dean: Lawrence C. Foster
Associate Dean: Carol Mon Lee
Faculty
D. Antolini, MPP, JD--environmental law, torts, legal writing
J. Barkai, MBA, JD--clinical program, alternative dispute resolution,
evidence
H. Beh, PhD, JD--contracts, advanced torts, legal writing
R. Brown, JD, LLM--labor law, legal writing
D. Callies, JD, LLM--real property, land use regulation, state and local
government, legal writing
W. Chang, JD--native Hawaiian rights, water law, jurisprudence, legal
writing
A. Conner, PhD, JD--Chinese law, legal writing
J. Dratler, PhD, JD--remedies, antitrust, intellectual property, legal
writing
K. Gebbia Pinetti, JD--commercial law, bankruptcy, legal writing
V. Hench, JD--criminal law, civil rights, legal writing
C. Iijima, JD (Pre-admission Program director)-- legal writing
C. Jarman, JD, LLM--environmental law, ocean law, legal writing
M. Levin, JD, LLM--sales, Japanese law, legal writing
C. Pang, MPH, JD--elder law, family law
J. Pietsch, JD--elder law
R. Roth, JD, LLM--taxation, trusts and estates
L. Seeger, JD, MLawLibr--legal bibliography
J. Van Dyke, JD--constitutional law, international law, international
human rights, legal writing
E. Yamamoto, JD--civil procedure; race, culture and the law; legal
writing
General Information
Since admitting its first class of students in 1973,
the William S. Richardson School of Law has graduated more than 1,500
attorneys, most of whom continue to serve in the state of Hawaii. As
the school matures, its graduates have risen to prominent positions,
including governor of Hawaii; president of a Hawaii university; a
federal magistrate; circuit, district, family, and per diem court
judges; partners in major law firms; and members of the state
Legislature and Honolulu City Council. In addition, graduates of the
school are found in significant numbers at the attorney general, public
defender, and prosecutor offices.
The law school offers a three-year, post-baccalaureate
program culminating in the Juris Doctor (JD) degree, also known as the
first professional degree in law. Although some law schools offer
graduate degrees in law (this school does not), the great majority of
students find that the JD degree is sufficient to prepare for admission
to a bar and for a career in law.
Student Body
Many of the 240 students in the law school either were
born in Hawaii or have other ties to the state or region. We also
welcome students from the continental United States, Asia, and the
Pacific. Many students from out-of-state express an interest in the
schools exceptional Pacific-Asian, environmental, or ocean policy
areas of emphasis. Each entering class (80- 85 in number) typically
reflects the ethnic diversity of Hawaii and includes individuals of
African American, Caucasian, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Japanese,
Korean, and Pacific Island ancestry. Currently enrolled students from
the Asia Pacific region represent China, Fiji, Guam, Japan, and the
Northern Mariana Islands.
Approximately half of the students are female, and
about 20 percent have completed other graduate degrees before enrolling
in the law school.
Mission
The mission of the William S. Richardson School of Law
is to provide formal legal education, encourage and support scholarly
legal research, and promote justice in our society and professional
responsibility and public service within our profession. We share the
goals of the State of Hawaii and the University to provide
educational opportunities for the people of this state and to be leaders
in environmental law, Pacific and Asian legal studies, and the law of
the sea.
In carrying out this mission, the schools graduates
fill a demand for qualified attorneys who are sensitive to Hawaiis
special needs and who will serve government and the public interest as
well as private entities.
Students are encouraged to study law and legal
institutions as integral parts of larger social, political, economic,
and ecological systems. A number of law students concurrently seek
graduate degrees at the University of Hawaii while undertaking the JD
program. |