About Us

Thank you for your interest in the William S. Richardson School of Law. We offer an excellent foundation in American law within a remarkably supportive environment. As the only ABA-accredited law school in the Pacific-Asia region, we provide outstanding teaching and first-rate professional training by a very diverse, talented, and unusually accessible faculty.

But we are also exceptional for our commitment to public service and diversity, as well as for our extraordinary location. Our student body is the most diverse in the nation. Our curriculum offers the traditional JD degree as well as certificates in Native Hawaiian Law, Pacific-Asian Legal Studies, and Environmental Law.

Unusual access to the legal and local communities underscores why studying in Hawai‘i is special. Professionals in our legal community -- from sitting judges to attorneys working in government, public interest, and private practice -- actively engage in our educational mission. Members of the Hawai‘i Bar continuously bring practical, real-world legal expertise and a spirit of generosity to our students as they serve as mentors, judge appellate advocacy arguments, and teach as lecturers in law.

Our Law School also benefits from being an integral part of the University of Hawai‘i. Law students can take advantage of UH Mānoa's distinguished Centers for Native Hawaiian, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese Studies, for example, and they often participate in the activities of the renowned East-West Center. Many choose to earn joint degrees in the Shidler College of Business and in other graduate schools on our campus.

We welcome you to consider a legal education in what many believe to be the most exceptional and collegial law school in the country.