Pacific-Asian Law Program

The Law School offers more courses on Asian law than almost any other law school, and we are the only American law school to teach Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islands law. Our students may take general Asian comparative and international law courses or choose from more specialized courses on Chinese, Japanese or Pacific law. Every year we also offer special courses taught by Asian visitors; recent courses have included Administrative Law in Japan, Law in the Philippines, Introduction to Law in Taiwan, Korean Law, and Legal Reform and Legal Education in Japan. If you have Asian-Pacific research interests, you may work with faculty members in a directed study course, as well as write your second-year seminar paper on an Asian-Pacific topic.

You may also enroll in additional Asian-Pacific related courses in the University's graduate schools to supplement your law study. The choice of courses is exceptionally broad, allowing students to pursue advanced study in courses such as Japanese Financial Management, East Asia Now, Korean Politics Island Southeast Asia, Politics and Development in China, and International Conflict Resolution. We also encourage our students to maintain and improve their language skills during their years here.

PALS Certificate & Checklist

To recognize student concentration in these areas, we award certificates of achievement in Pacific-Asian law. Students working towards a certificate may choose to focus on Asian and business-related topics or concentrate on Pacific Islands and legal issues. You may receive credit for an approved externship in Asia or the Pacific, as well as for related courses taken in other graduate programs in the University.

PALS Certificate & Checklist .pdf (Updated 03/20/09)

 "When I applied to law schools, I wanted to find a school that paid more than lip service to teaching Chinese law. The PALS faculty really delivered. The courses are numerous and fantastic. Our location in the middle of the Pacific, and right across the street from the East-West Center, allows students to tap into a seemingly bottomless pool of mentors and research expertise." - Larissa Schwartz '06