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The first-year curriculum is entirely prescribed and
offers a conventional format of substantive courses and intensive small
group seminars in legal writing, research, and advocacy. The program for
the second and third years is primarily elective and includes writing
and research seminars, clinical workshops (some of which involve
students in actual litigation under the Supreme Court’s Student
Practice Rule), and a variety of courses in both traditional and new
areas of law.
Most grading within the law school is done anonymously
and on a C+/B- curve.
Additional Information
For complete information on school policies and
programs, request a School of Law Catalog from the Office of
Admissions at 2515 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI 96822.
Special Programs
Dual Degree and Graduate Certificate Programs
Law students may integrate their law school work with
graduate work in other schools and colleges at the University of
Hawai‘i and receive both the JD degree and a graduate degree. The most
popular dual degree programs have been the JD- MBA, the JD-Master of
Urban and Regional Planning, and the JD-MA in Asian studies, although
other dual degrees may be approved in consultation with the law school.
Students may also pursue graduate certificate programs include ocean
policy, resource management, or gerontology.
Students interested in dual degree or certificate
programs must apply separately and be admitted to both the School of Law
and the graduate or certificate program. Admission to one program does
not guarantee admission to the other.
Elder Law Program
The University of Hawai‘i Elder Law Program (UHELP)
consists of two components: the course on legal problems of the elderly
and the Elder Law Unit. The course is part of the law school’s
educational program for training law students in elder law. The Elder
Law Unit, housed at the law school, provides direct delivery of legal
services to elderly who are socially and economically needy. It is an
important source of cases assigned to law students in the Elder Law
Clinic.
Students interested in this area of law may also
undertake the UH Advanced Certificate in Gerontology.
Pacific-Asian Legal Studies
Because of Hawai‘i’s location, population,
culture, and economic relationships, the law school faculty has
developed the Pacific-Asian Legal Studies Program (PALS). The program
has the twofold purpose of conducting new research and enriching the JD
curriculum. A number of faculty have expertise in Pacific-Asian
research, teaching, and consultation. Course offerings have included
Chinese law and society, Chinese trade and investment law, Japanese
criminal law, Japanese trade law, Japanese constitutional law, Korean
law, and Pacific Islands legal systems. The program benefits from an
exchange with the law faculty at Hiroshima University in Japan. Other
exchanges are also being explored.
Interested law students can elect to do a full
semester externship for academic credit with selected courts in the
Pacific.
With prior approval, students may also plan to study
with a law faculty in Asia for one semester and transfer credits toward
the JD degree.
Student Organizations
The current list of student organizations at the
School of Law includes the following:
Advocates for Public Interest Law
‘Ahahui O Hawai‘i
American Bar Association--Law Student Division
American Inns of Court
Christian Legal Society
Client Counseling Team
Delta Theta Phi International Legal
Fraternity
Environmental Law Society
Environmental Law Moot Court Competition Team
Filipino Law Students Association
National Moot Court Team
Pacific-Asian Legal Studies Student Organization
Pacific Islands Legal Studies Association
Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity, Richardson Inn
Philip Jessup International Law Moot Court Team
Student Bar Association
University of Hawai‘i Law Review
Women Law Student Association |