2515 Dole Street
Honolulu, HI 96822-2350
Phone: 808.956.5557; Fax: 808.956.3813
E-mail: lawadm@hawaii.edu; Website: www.law.hawaii.edu
The William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai'i is located at the foot of beautiful Mānoa Valley, minutes from sandy beaches and lush rain forests, as well as from the economic and legal center of urban Honolulu. We offer an excellent academic program with professors committed to outstanding teaching, scholarship, and community service. Our school is particularly noted for its collegial atmosphere, accessible faculty, and extraordinary cultural and ethnic diversity.
Placement after graduation is consistently very high. Our distinguished alumni serve as leaders in Hawai'i, as well as in national and international arenas. We are recognized particularly for our programs in environmental law, Native Hawaiian law, and international law with an Asian and Pacific focus. The William S. Richardson School of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the American Association of Law Schools.
We offer a three-year, full-time JD program and an evening, part-time JD program. Law students may earn certificates in Environmental Law, Pacific-Asian Legal Studies, and Native Hawaiian Law. Summer courses are available as well as specialized short courses with distinguished visiting faculty in January (J Term). We also offer a one-year LLM program for international lawyers studying American law.
The Law School's Environmental Law Program (ELP) was established in 1988 in recognition of the special challenges in developing an environmentally sustainable economy within a unique and fragile island environment. It has grown into a comprehensive program with a regional, national, and international reputation for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and public service. Thanks to its dedicated faculty, alumni, and friends throughout Hawai'i and the Pacific region, ELP offers unparalleled opportunities for students interested in focusing their studies in the environmental law field. The ELP has several components:
Enhanced by Hawai'i's location, population, culture, and economic relationships, we offer an exceptional program in Pacific-Asian Legal Studies (PALS). The program has the twofold purpose of conducting research and enriching the JD curriculum. Many faculty members have expertise in Pacific/Asian scholarship, teaching, and law reform. Recent course offerings in PALS have included, for example, Chinese Business Law, Chinese Law and Society, Pacific Island Legal Systems, Korean Law, Philippine Law, Japanese Law and Society, and US-Japan Business Transactions. The Certificate in Pacific-Asian Legal Studies allows students to focus their coursework and to earn recognition of their specialization in addition to the JD.
Selected students may do a full semester externship in an agency or entity for academic credit with approval in certain Pacific Island nations, Asia, or elsewhere. Students may also arrange a semester of study with law faculties in Asia.
Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law was established in 2005 by a federal grant. The center focuses on education, research, community outreach, and the preservation of invaluable historical, legal, traditional, and customary materials. It offers new courses and supports Native Hawaiian law students as they pursue legal careers and leadership roles. Students may earn a certificate in Native Hawaiian Law.
All students are required to take at least one clinical course, and most students will take many such practical courses. We offer an extensive array of clinical and professional skills opportunities. Clinical courses teach and model excellent practice skills and stress a reflective method of looking at lawyering behavior. These courses are taught by full-time faculty as well as by some of Hawai'i's finest judges and lawyers who evaluate and mentor student efforts in presenting oral arguments, handling depositions, and negotiating for their clients in simulated sessions as well as with real clients. Skills taught in the various clinical courses include interviewing, counseling, drafting, fact investigation, negotiation, alternative dispute resolution, motion practice, trial practice, appellate practice, and legal writing. Our Clinical Program also directly addresses the legal problems faced by some of Hawai'i's most vulnerable people.
Our Pro Bono Program introduces students to public interest voluntary service and encourages them to respond directly to unmet needs in the community. Each student must do at least 60 hours of law-related work in one or more agencies or projects approved by the Law School pro bono advisor. In the past, students have worked for a wide variety of public service groups such as the Legal Aid Society of Hawai'i, Volunteer Legal Services, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, and the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund.
Admission to both our full- and part-time JD programs is determined by an applicant's academic achievement, aptitude for the study of law, and professional promise. Preference is given to residents of Hawai'i and to nonresidents with strong ties to, or special interest in, Hawai'i, the Asia/Pacific region, environmental law, or other programs in the Law School. Approximately 20 percent of our students are nonresidents.
In addition to the LSAT and undergraduate GPA, factors considered for admission include academic work beyond the bachelor's degree, work experience, writing ability, community service, diversity, overcoming adversity, and unusual accomplishments.
Applications from students wishing to transfer or wishing to visit for a semester or two are considered for both August and January admission.
Our Master of Laws (LLM) Program is restricted to applicants who have earned a bachelor's degree in law, or its equivalent, from an institution outside the United States. Admission decisions are based upon a candidate's previous law study, work experience, English writing ability, letters of recommendation, and TOEFL or IELTS scores. There is no LSAT requirement.
Student editorial boards publish the University of Hawai'i Law Review and the online Asian-Pacific Law and Policy Journal. Students also organize and participate in many aspects of our extensive moot court program, including competing in many national competitions. Student teams regularly perform well, bringing home national and international titles and awards.
Most students are active in a variety of organizations within the Law School and in the Honolulu community. A sampling includes Advocates for Public Interest Law (APIL), student divisions of the American Bar Association, American Inns of Court, Phi Delta Phi and Delta Theta Phi, Hawai'i Women Lawyers, and the Environmental Law Society. Student affinity groups include the Filipino Law Students Association, Black Law Students Association, La Alianza, LAMBDA, and the 'Ahahui o Hawai'i, an organization primarily for Native Hawaiian law students.
The classroom building features a moot courtroom and an open courtyard that facilitate informal conversations and activities. Law students have full access to all facilities of the university, including the health, counseling, and computing centers, as well as extensive athletic facilities. The Law School buildings have wireless Internet access throughout for students, faculty, and staff.
We assist students and alumni to obtain part-time, summer, and associate positions in the public interest and private sectors through our Career Development Office. Most students choose to remain in Hawai'i and the Asia/Pacific region, so that about 85 percent of our graduates work in Hawai'i after graduation. Many firms in Honolulu, government employers, and public interest organizations participate in on-campus interviews for second- and third-year students. Our students also are unusually successful in obtaining judicial clerkships upon graduation. Recent graduating classes have had an employment rate nine months after graduation generally varying from 80 to 100 percent.
This grid includes only applicants who earned 120–180 LSAT scores under standard administrations.
| GPA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT Score |
3.75+ Apps |
3.75+ Adm |
3.50– 3.74 Apps |
3.50– 3.74 Adm |
3.25– 3.49 Apps |
3.25– 3.49 Adm |
3.00– 3.24 Apps |
3.00– 3.24 Adm |
2.75– 2.99 Apps |
2.75– 2.99 Adm |
2.50– 2.74 Apps |
2.50– 2.74 Adm |
2.25– 2.49 Apps |
2.25– 2.49 Adm |
2.00– 2.24 Apps |
2.00– 2.24 Adm |
Below 2.00 Apps |
Below 2.00 Adm |
No GPA Apps |
No GPA Adm |
Total Apps |
Total Adm |
| LSAT score 175–180 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| LSAT score 170–174 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6 |
| LSAT score 165–169 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 73 | 37 |
| LSAT score 160–164 | 15 | 7 | 45 | 27 | 45 | 26 | 34 | 11 | 16 | 4 | 20 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 193 | 79 |
| LSAT score 155–159 | 45 | 14 | 62 | 17 | 83 | 29 | 69 | 16 | 54 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 351 | 84 |
| LSAT score 150–154 | 24 | 5 | 49 | 6 | 76 | 5 | 70 | 12 | 35 | 2 | 36 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 316 | 34 |
| LSAT score 145–149 | 13 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 42 | 2 | 30 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 184 | 6 |
| LSAT score 140–144 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 17 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 108 | 10 |
| LSAT score 135–139 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
| LSAT score 130–134 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| LSAT score 125–129 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| LSAT score 120–124 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 120 | 38 | 215 | 67 | 279 | 75 | 264 | 46 | 177 | 16 | 121 | 6 | 67 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 30 | 6 | 1303 | 257 |
Apps = Number of Applicants
Adm = Number Admitted
Reflects 99% of the total applicant pool; highest LSAT data reported.